Sonic or Serin 5 foot 8
by writer228
Summary: See what happens if Sonic was a human, trapped on Earth and battling good ol' Robotnik! (And, yes fans, I am VERY sorry I changed the title in the first place.)
1. The Adventure Begins

Like so many days before (and most likely after), Sonic sped down his usual path while scouting. Hopefully Dr. Robotnik wont try anything stupid today so he can enjoy a relaxing day off; he needed it.  
  
CRASH!!  
  
Sonic whirled around at the sound behind him. "What fell over?" he asked himself. All they needed at Knothole Village was more missing trees. Most likely Princess Sally will have them planting trees again.  
  
"Great," he mumbled to himself. "Might as well check it out."  
  
Speeding along, he noticed the birds weren't chirping anymore this morning. 'That's strange.' he thought to himself, 'They usually don't stop unless they're scared.'  
  
And they had good reason to be.  
  
Sonic skid around a corner to smack straight into a Swatbot, which then nabbed him. Sonic was still free enough to curl into his famous Sonic Spin to free himself completely of the hunk of junk. After landing, he looked up. Usually Swatbots don't travel alone, so where were the others?  
  
After a good look around, he realized the clearing was completely empty of Swatbots, but he didn't realize that it wasn't empty of Robotniks before he was hit from behind.  
  
Sonic could hear Dr. Robotnik laugh evilly while he felt his body tear apart. After a short while, everything went quiet, and he realized he had been screaming. Everything had faded so much he couldn't tell if his eyes were closed or if he had gone blind, but before he could find out, he lost consciousness.  
  
He awoke to a forest around him. Birds were chirping, squirrels were dashing to and fro, but something was different. He didn't recognize the trees, or the birdcalls. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.  
  
His head throbbed. He curled over onto his side and gripped his head, groaning silently and praying he friends were nearby. Maybe they could explain this. But, then again, he was still trying to figure out why he was still alive.  
  
There was something furry on his head. Trying to figure out what it was in his mind, he tried to remove it from his head, thinking it was a hat. All he got was a shock of pain racing through his already throbbing skull.  
  
"YEEOOW!"  
  
Something peered at him through the bushes. It was a being, similar to Robotinik's shape but not fat, or grotesque. Actually, when Sonic thought about it, this being looked kind of cute.  
  
"Are you okay, sir?" it asked.  
  
"Yeah," Sonic replied. "Just got shot by a laser or something and then almost bashed my brains out."  
  
The kid giggled as if he was joking. "You're funny," the kid said. "Why don't you come with me and have a picnic with my mom and brother. They'd like to meet you!"  
  
Sonic sat up and shrugged. Why not? He was hungry. Sally didn't let him eat breakfast before his morning scout routines.  
  
The kid looked up at him while they were walking. "What's your name?" he asked, "Mine's Cody."  
  
Sonic smiled, even though he was surprised he was taller than the kid while standing. "The name's Sonic. Nice to meet you, Cody."  
  
"But Sonic is a game character. And a blue hedgehog. You're a human."  
  
Sonic stopped dead in his tracks. Looking over himself, he found he had on a white t-shirt, blue jeans, a belt, and red sneakers, but he was, in truth, a human.  
  
Cody walked back over to Sonic and tugged his arm. "Mom and Carl are waiting!" he protested.  
  
Sonic just nodded and followed. Was he dreaming? He couldn't. The pain in his head was too real.  
  
More importantly, how was he going to get home?  
  
To Be Continued. 


	2. After a trip comes a nap

Sonic could do nothing but let Cody lead him to the picnic blanket. He didn't even notice that the mother looked shocked and the brother, who was apparently Carl, was younger than Cody. Sonic was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't hear Cody's mother talking.  
  
".so, did you get everything?" she asked.  
  
Sonic came to with a start. "Huh?" he asked, then groaned silently and curling slightly while holding his head, which had decided to throb again.  
  
Cody's mother looked sympathetic. "Oh dear, you're hurt. Cody, sit him down right here. I have to apologize for Cody; he's just recently turned six and thinks he can do anything he wants." She reached into the picnic cooler and brought out some ice, which she put in a plastic bag. "Here, put this on your head. I'm sorry if the bag smells funny but we used it to carry cheese sandwiches. The ice should help with the pain."  
  
Too tired and too stunned from recent events to say anything, Sonic obeyed. His head was starting to hurt an awful lot now. The only problem was Sonic didn't know why.  
  
Surprisingly enough, the ice did help. After he had held it against his head for a while, Cody's mother spoke up again.  
  
"Young man, what's your name?"  
  
"Uh." Sonic debated to himself whether or not telling them his real name was a good idea. He eventually decided to go for it. "It's Sonic," he said.  
  
Cody protested once again. "You can't be Sonic!" he called out, his mother putting a hand on her face in embarrassment and Sonic wincing in pain. "Sonic is a blue hedgehog and he's really fast and he's super cool!"  
  
'At least I'm popular.' Sonic thought to himself with a smile.  
  
"Cody, please don't yell; you can see he's in pain. Dear, what's your real name?" Cody's mother asked.  
  
Sonic, once again, debated whether or not telling them the truth was worth it. It then hit him. Game character? He had his own game? How did they know about him in the first place? Could they send him home? Did they know about the others? What about Sally, and Knuckles, and good ol' Tails? Rotor? Did they know Rotor? Bunny Rabbot too?  
  
His head was really starting to hurt by now. Even the ice wasn't helping anymore.  
  
Groaning a little more loudly, he hunched over, almost so far that his head touched his knees. Cody's mother gave a little gasp and Cody tried to look at Sonic in the face. Carl just gurgled and started sucking on his thumb, being as he was about one-year-old.  
  
"Please, lie down," Cody's mother said, trying to make Sonic lay down on his side. He agreed quickly; the scenery around him was starting to swim in front of his eyes. He rolled over to his back and stared at the could filled sky, wondering how long he could survive here.  
  
He could only vaguely hear Cody asked, "Mommy? Is he gonna be okay?"  
  
"I think so," was the reply, "I've got my cell phone. I'm calling the hospital."  
  
Sonic closed his eyes, trying to ignore the pain. He couldn't think anymore. He almost couldn't stay conscious. He was just in so much pain.  
  
Something touched his hand. Looking over weakly, he saw Carl had crawled over and was climbing on top of his stomach. Sonic didn't care anymore. He just wanted the pain to go away.  
  
He heard the sirens, and Cody's mother talking endlessly. He also heard the constant chatter of the nearby crowds wondering what was going on. But he didn't care. If fact, he didn't even care that men in white uniforms were coming over to him. All he cared about was the pain, mostly because it was getting ignored, was disappearing and that Carl was asleep. Sonic couldn't help but smile, even as they took Carl away. He wasn't worrying though; he knew he'd see Cody and Carl again.  
  
They loaded him onto the stretcher and tried to move him into the ambulance with the onlookers gasping and murmuring among themselves. Cody ran up.  
  
"Can I go with him?" he asked the doctors.  
  
Sonic spoke before the doctors could. "Let him," all he could do was whisper, "and if his mom and brother want to, they can come too."  
  
The doctor hushed him, but let the small family come along. Sonic knew this was going to be one long ride. 


	3. New Name, New Duds, Cool

Thankfully, Sonic was out of the hospital in a few hours. The worst of it was over, and the doctor said he only had a bad bruise on his head. A policeman even came up to him to ask if he knew his attacker, but Sonic tried to tell him that he wouldn't believe the poor hedgehog-turned-human even if Sonic had proof.  
  
Eventually, though, the policeman won.  
  
A while later.  
  
".Then I was hit by a beam, torn apart, woke up like this, and was in a LOT of pain," Sonic finished.  
  
The police officer just looked at him over his notepad. "Uh-huh," he mumbled, pretending to write stuff down. "Sure, right." The officer than reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. "Give the guy a visit and you'll be as right as rain," he explained. He then handed the card to Sonic.  
  
Sonic looked at the card in his hand. "Psychiatrist" was written all over the top, and this time Sonic looked annoyed.  
  
"Thanks, sir, I'll keep this in mind," he said, stuffing the card into his pocket.  
  
Sonic didn't exactly know how, but he found himself in the lobby a little while later being hugged to death by Cody and his younger brother. Sonic wouldn't try to get them off only because he lacked the air to do so.  
  
Luckily, their mother came to the rescue.  
  
"Boys! Get off him! He just got out of the hospital! Cody! Get down! You're strangling him!"  
  
She eventually pulled both boys off, and Sonic finally found a chance to breathe. "Thanks," he wheezed, "I thought I was gonna suffocate."  
  
"Don't mention it," she said, holding both Cody and Carl and talking to Sonic at the same time. Sonic had to admit; this mother was good at her job.  
  
Sonic then realized something. In this world, he didn't have a home. He also didn't know much about the lifestyle, so he figured he would last about four hours, tops, on the street alone.  
  
"Miss?" he asked, trying to be polite.  
  
"Yes?" she said, fitting Carl into his walker and still (somehow) keeping Cody from jumping Sonic again.  
  
"I.um.don't.have a home." he mumbled. 'Man!' he thought to himself, 'This is totally embarrassing!'  
  
She smiled. "My name is Mrs. Anderson. I am, unfortunately, a widow, due to the fact that my husband is.well.Never mind. Anyway, I have an extra room, and I could do with an extra, hopefully civilized" (at this point, Cody called out, "MOM!" in an almost embarrassed way) "man around the house."  
  
Sonic picked up Cody so she could fasten Carl in properly. After Cody had moved to Sonic's back, nobody seemed to mind anymore.  
  
"Thank you, Mrs. Anderson. I'll do my best to behave."  
  
Cody started playing with Sonic's hair, ruffling it up so badly Sonic could hardly see. After a bit of playful shoving by those two as Sonic tried to fix his hair, tickle Cody, and still hold the guy at the same time while Cody tried to keep ruffling up Sonic's hair and stay balanced as well, Mrs. Anderson smiled.  
  
"You're name is Sonic?" she asked.  
  
"Yes.(Cody! That hurts!) Ma'am!" Sonic grunted.  
  
She thought for a minute, then nodded to herself. "Since people seem to think that a young man named Sonic is strange, we'll name you after my late brother."  
  
Sonic stopped fidgeting with Cody and looked at Mrs. Anderson. "What was his name?" Sonic asked, and then grabbed Cody from over his shoulder and held him upside-down, trying not to get hit by Cody's kicking feet and hear over Cody's loud giggles.  
  
Mrs. Anderson smiled. She knew she could trust this man with her children; she's seen his type before.  
  
"His name was Serin." 


	4. Lotsa Questions!

"Cool," Sonic, now Serin, said while gently putting Cody down. "So that's my new name, huh?"  
  
"Yes," Mrs. Anderson replied, "but your nickname can be Sonic if you want."  
  
"Please! I wanna remember who I am!" Sonic agreed.  
  
On the way to the Andersons' home in the car, Cody started asking a lot of questions.  
  
"Are you really Sonic?"  
  
"Ye-"  
  
"Why isn't your hair blue?"  
  
"Dunno-"  
  
"Is your favorite color blue?"  
  
"Ye-"  
  
"Is there really a Princess Sally?"  
  
"Of cour-"  
  
"Is she nice?"  
  
"Ye-"  
  
"What about Tails?"  
  
"What about-"  
  
"Is his real name really Miles?"  
  
"I promised-"  
  
"Do you think Bunny Rabbot is-"  
  
"Cody! Please! I'll answer your questions later! I just wanna get to bed!" Sonic protested. It had been a really long day, and he was really tired. Plus, his head was starting to hurt again.  
  
A few more minutes of suppressing Cody so he didn't talk too much, and they were at the Andersons' home. Carl had fallen asleep during the ride, so there wasn't much to worry about as they moved Carl inside. The real trouble was trying to keep Cody quiet while Carl was still in earshot.  
  
"Please please pleeeeeeeeaaase tell me! I promise I'll be quiet!"  
  
Sonic sighed. "Alright!" he whispered, so he wouldn't wake up Carl, "Alright, I'll answer your questions. Let's get to your room first, okay?"  
  
Mrs. Anderson stared as Cody dashed inside, leaving the door wide open behind him. "I've never seen him run so fast!" she exclaimed, but still quietly.  
  
"Hmmm.still too slow," Sonic joked. He had to admit, though; Cody was pretty fast, for an average person.  
  
Sonic silently wondered if he still had his Sonic Speed in this world, especially with this body.  
  
As promised, Sonic did stay up a little late answering questions for Cody. It was almost like a bedtime story because Cody was in his pajamas, in bed, and already had his teddy bear. Somewhere around ten o'clock Cody passed out, so Sonic retreated to his own room.  
  
Mrs. Anderson couldn't help it, though. At four o'clock in the morning, before she started making breakfast, she peeked in all the boy's rooms, just to see how they were doing.  
  
Cody was sleeping like an angel, while Carl was giggling in his dreams. When she checked on Sonic's room, she noticed he was tangled up in his blankets, with one of his two pillows on the floor.  
  
Mrs. Anderson tip-toed inside, and gently brushed her hand against his cheek, hoping the act would comfort him. She was very surprised to find his face and pillow were both wet, and, after she had looked a little closer, she soon realized why;  
  
Sonic had been crying. 


	5. Just when things can't get any worse

Everyone was at the breakfast table before Sonic. When he finally did walk into the dining room, he was grubby, stiff, and his hair still needed to be brushed.  
  
"Good (yaaaaaawwwwnn!) morning." he mumbled.  
  
Cody giggled again and Carl cooed in happiness while holding out his arms for a hug, but Mrs. Anderson said nothing. She knew why Sonic had been crying last night; all of Cody's questions reminded him about how much he missed home, especially if he was really the Sonic the Hedgehog gone human.  
  
Sonic picked up Carl out of his booster chair and let the kid hug him as he sat down. At least he didn't have to learn about one of his favorite traditions of the day.  
  
Mrs. Anderson brought plates of food to the table, including an extra plate for Sonic. "Good morning, Serin!" she beamed, "I don't know how you like your eggs so I hope scrambled is okay."  
  
"I like 'em edible!" Sonic exclaimed while licking his lips. He couldn't wait to dig into the delicious-looking food! Especially since he hadn't eaten for a whole day.  
  
Mrs. Anderson giggled to herself. It was a good thing she knew what he meant, but she'd still have to talk to him later.  
  
Cody couldn't keep quiet anymore with Sonic talking to his mother and Carl hogging the guy's lap. He wanted a bit of his new friend too!  
  
Cody gulped down his food and swallowed the best he could. After also draining his milk (and then grimacing in disgust) he called out, "Hey Sonic! Wanna see my new skateboard?!"  
  
Before Sonic could reply, though, Mrs. Anderson cut in. "Cody, don't show him anything until after school. And finish your-! Oh, you finished already."  
  
Cody beamed and Sonic smiled. Carl wasn't eating his breakfast mostly because he had just fallen asleep on Sonic's lap, still cooing faintly and sucking on his thumb.  
  
Sonic looked at Carl. "Does he ever talk?" he asked.  
  
Mrs. Anderson shook her head. "He's almost a year old and he hasn't said his first word yet. All the other children his age at the daycare know at least two words by now. I'm really starting to get worried."  
  
The clock rang seven times. The whole family seemed to stop as the rings echoed and faded from hearing.  
  
"It's seven o'clock?! I still have to get to work! There's no way I can do that and get Cody to school and Carl to daycare! Oh! I'm going to be late!" Mrs. Anderson called while bustling about, giving Cody his backpack and grabbing Carl to put his shoes on him. Sonic smiled; this is the part he did best.  
  
Racing around the house he found the backpack, shoes, and skateboard (which he had to admit was pretty cool, especially with him and Tails on the bottom as the design) which he gave to Cody. He tapped his foot impatiently while Cody put on his shoes, and then picked up the kid and ran over to Mrs. Anderson. And all that was done in 15 seconds or less.  
  
"Which way is Cody's school?" Sonic almost commanded. He was just so used to this kind of thing.  
  
Mrs. Anderson gave him the instructions. "I can get Carl to the daycare. It's on my way to work."  
  
Sonic nodded and sped off, following the directions just given to him. In no time at all, Cody was at school, playing with his friends (actually, he was gathering a fan club, but Sonic didn't know the difference) and still had about half an hour before school started. Sonic leaned against the outer fence so he could watch Cody before the bell rang. The next thing he knew, he was being swarmed by pre-school-ers, kindergarten kids, and 1st graders.  
  
With all the questions being thrown at him, Sonic could barely hear anything! Cody was alternately asking questions and bragging that this guy was the real Sonic in human form.  
  
However, even with all the screamed questions, he did hear something else;  
  
"Help! Somebody help me!" 


	6. Heroes and Hurts

Sonic knew he couldn't do anything until he got out of the crowd. Frantically thinking, he knew he couldn't wade through them, but maybe.  
  
"Duck!" he cried.  
  
Luckily the kids knew what he meant. All of them suddenly hit the floor as Sonic launched himself over the crowd of children. Landing cleanly on the other side, he sped off towards the sound, finding himself delighted that, with longer legs, he was actually faster!  
  
He was at the scene before anyone knew what happened. A bunch of boys were beating up a younger boy in a corner of the playground. Sonic didn't even stop to think, but grabbed the biggest boy and lifted him off the ground. He looked at the other kids.  
  
"Back off!" he commanded, "or your 'leader' gets really, really hurt!"  
  
Surprisingly enough, the other boys backed off from the young boy on the ground. The kid's nose was bleeding, plus he had a black eye and several other bruises. Sonic dropped the bully he was holding and went over to the boy on the grass.  
  
The boy was shivering and curled up like a ball, and flinched when Sonic touched him. "It's okay," Sonic whispered, "They're not gonna hurt you anymore. I chased 'em off; you're safe now."  
  
The kid whimpered as Sonic rubbed the kid's shoulder, trying to convince the kid that he wasn't the enemy. Just then, the whole gang of kids who were beating up the kid before jumped Sonic, knocking him flat on the ground. He could feel sharp points of pain piercing him in his side and back as the kids beat on him. Time to find out if he still had all his tricks.  
  
Sonic shoved against the ground, causing himself to become airborne for a few seconds, and that was all he needed.  
  
Curling himself into a ball, he spun rapidly, faster and faster until he was actually staying elevated due to the fact he was spinning so quickly.  
  
The children almost flew off as he spun, allowing Sonic enough room to land squarely on his feet. After which he walked right over to the head boy of the gang.  
  
The kid whimpered and curled up in a ball, just like his first victim of the day.  
  
"Isn't that cute?" Sonic sneered, "You look just like that poor kid over there."  
  
All the other kids had surrounded the event unfolding before them, giving Sonic a fierce image of a battle ring in his mind.  
  
The boy had started whimpering again, curling as tight as he could. Sonic just forcefully walked over to the kid, grabbed a handful of the kid's shirtfront, and picked him up again.  
  
"Looks like you like bein' elevated," he said, looking the kid right in the face. He then held the kid out at arm's length, allowing the kid to dangle about three feet off the ground.  
  
He looked around at the crowd. "If any of you kids follow this creep's example I'll be teachin' you kids a whole new class. A class in obedience!" he threatened.  
  
"As for you," he hissed, his face twisting in rage, "either become one of the nicest little angels to walk the school grounds or you'll be my star pupil!"  
  
The kid nodded rapidly, almost so fast that Sonic thought the kid's neck would snap off.  
  
He dropped the kid and looked at the crowd as the kid half-walked, half-crawled out of the ring.  
  
"My name is Serin!" he called out, "And if anyone, older or younger, decides to break the rules, you'll find out why my friends call me Sonic!"  
  
The crowd cheered, almost so loud the bell was lost in the sound. Cody ran up to Sonic.  
  
"You're gonna be a hero, right?" he asked.  
  
Sonic smiled. "Sure. I mean, why not?" 


	7. NOW a new job too!

As Cody ran off, someone else walked up.  
  
Sonic just put a hand on his face as a teacher addressed him.  
  
"This way please, 'Sonic'," he said, motioning for Sonic to follow him.  
  
Sonic sighed as he followed the teacher, using all of his willpower to keep from talking and making faces at the teacher behind the guy's back.  
  
The teacher led him to an office. In the office was an older man, who was seated behind a desk with "Principal" on a plaque nailed to the front of the desk.  
  
"Please sit," the older man said as the teacher left the room.  
  
Sonic, feeling rebellious, not only sat, but slumped in the chair with one arm over the back. "Yes?" Sonic asked.  
  
"I had the fortune to see what happened in the school yard today," the principal explained.  
  
"So?"  
  
The principal looked him straight in the eyes. Sonic did not flinch or look away. He knew this game.  
  
"I would have to ask you to repress yourself from further similar activities," he said.  
  
Sonic just rolled his eyes. "Sir, if I might help the subject, add that 1: I do not go to this school and therefore can not have the rules here apply to me, and 2: They were killing that kid! The teachers were just lounging around and not even noticing a kid call out for help! If you wanna bite somebody, bite them, but I'd like to keep my head to myself, thank you."  
  
The principal nodded. "What school do you go to?"  
  
Sonic thought fast to make something up. "Freedom Knox," he said, not even flinching or changing his face from the bored expression he currently wore.  
  
"I've never heard of that school," the principal replied, looking curious.  
  
"I'm from out of town," Sonic replied.  
  
"I guessed as much," the principal replied again, this time with a quiet voice. He seemed to be thinking.  
  
"I'm finished with it, though," Sonic said, deciding to make himself look good, "'cuz they said I was too smart for any of the classes."  
  
The principal nodded. "How old are you?" he asked.  
  
"16," Sonic replied, looking thoroughly bored.  
  
"What kind of school is 'Freedom Knox'?" the principal asked.  
  
"College," Sonic yawned.  
  
Once again, the principal nodded. Sonic couldn't help but notice that this principal did that a lot.  
  
"Are you employed?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then welcome to your new job." 


	8. Now you know what the job is

"What?!" Sonic exclaimed as the principal handed him a bright, neon- orange vest. "You're just signing me up?"  
  
The principal nodded, again. "Think about it," he said, "You are fresh out of college, without a job, and proper working age. Why not? It's $6.50 an hour. $2 extra for after school hours as well."  
  
Sonic looked at the vest on his lap and sighed. "Fine," he said, "but can I at least have the name of my employer?"  
  
The principal nodded. Sonic was getting sick of that. "My name is Principal Gibbons. Welcome to Saint Mark's Elementary School."  
  
"Thanks," Sonic grumbled as he got up and put on the vest. It was a little tight, but he would manage. "Any special privileges with this job?" he asked.  
  
Principal Gibbons nodded. "You get free access to the Teacher's Lounge and you can interrupt a class and/or issue detentions as needed. Do not abuse these privileges."  
  
"Yeah yeah," Sonic mumbled. "Do I start my duties, sir?" he asked, doing a fake solute.  
  
"Of course," the principal said, while nodding.  
  
Sonic humored the man and nodded back, then left the office. Sonic walked out into the hallway, keeping alert and listening intently, just in case.  
  
Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long. After a few minutes (which seemed like hours), Sonic heard a huge crash down one of the hallways. He sped in the direction of the noise as fast as he could, getting to the scene in mere seconds.  
  
A couple of boys had just tossed over a garbage can and were preparing to run when they bumped straight into Sonic.  
  
"S-S-Serin!" one of them exclaimed.  
  
Sonic smiled. "Guess what, kid?" he said as he snagged the sleeve straps with his thumbs and pulled slightly to show off his new vest, "I'm official now, so I don't necessarily have to do classes."  
  
The boys were beginning to panic.  
  
"Now you can get free detentions! Isn't that nice?" Sonic said in a mock sing-song voice, clapping his hands together and smiling as if he thought he was a cute little girl.  
  
He suddenly turned serious. "Now pick up this junk and march to the principal's office!" he commanded, pointing forcefully at the garbage all over the floor.  
  
The boys hastened to appeal to the command. After they had picked up the garbage, Sonic followed the boys to make sure they got to the right destination. Afterwards, Sonic began patrolling again.  
  
As he walked around, Sonic would occasionally peek into classes, whether it was through the windows on the doors or by actually poking his head in, it didn't matter. Actually, something interesting happened at Cody's kindergarten class.  
  
Sonic poked his head in, smiling broadly when the teacher looked at him.  
  
"Yes?" she asked, closing the book she had been reading.  
  
"Sorry, teach, but just checking up on things," he replied.  
  
"Why aren't you in class?" she asked.  
  
"One, because I've already finished school, and two, because I'm the new one-and-only School Patrol Guard this school has to offer," Sonic bragged.  
  
The teacher nodded, mostly to herself. "Would you like to visit the class a minute?" she asked.  
  
Sonic pointed at one of the kids in the room, and the teacher averted her attention to see why.  
  
Cody was straining to get his hand up in the air, squirming in his seat on the carpet to get noticed.  
  
"What's wrong, Cody?" she asked.  
  
"Can Soni-I mean, Serin come in for Show 'N Tell?" he asked.  
  
The teacher nodded. "I don't see why not," she said, then looked at Sonic. "Would you mind?"  
  
"No, sure. I'll come for Show 'N Tell"  
  
"It's in fifteen minutes. See you then." 


	9. The Show N' Tell Blues

After killing fifteen minutes, Sonic went back to Cody's class, walked in, and sat down in the back.  
  
"Oh! Serin! Right on time!" the teacher said, slightly surprised on Sonic's timing. She thought he would be late, like all teenagers were.  
  
"Alright class, does everybody have their things for Show 'N Tell?" she asked. When four kids replied yes, she said, "Serin, since you don't know me yet, you can call me Ms. Rayne. Is that okay?"  
  
"That's fine," Sonic replied.  
  
Ms. Rayne nodded again. Then she looked around the class. "Daffy, you can go first."  
  
A little girl got up and went up to the front of the class. She was wearing a cute little blue dress with matching shoes and bow. She held up a small book and said, "This is my granny's book. She read it to me when I was small. It's got lots of pictures in it."  
  
"Thank you," Ms. Rayne said as Daffy sat down. "Earl, you can go next."  
  
A small boy with a tie-dye shirt got up, went to the front of the class, and opened a brown bag. He pulled out a little Sonic doll.  
  
Sonic gasped.  
  
"This is my dolly," Earl said, "I take him everywhere and leave him in my backpack at school and in the car when mommy won't let me take him and with my other dollies when mommy says she wont let me take him out of the house and in the washer when mommy says he needs to get cleaned-d and-"  
  
"Earl! Please, finish up," Ms. Rayne interrupted.  
  
"And I like him a lot!" Earl proclaimed.  
  
"Thank you Earl," Ms. Rayne said, "Now, Cody, what did you- Serin! Are you okay?"  
  
Sonic looked up at Ms. Rayne. He had been holding his head as he tried to think. "Yeah," he finally said, "I'm fine."  
  
"You're a little pale."  
  
"I'm fine!"  
  
Cody walked up front, then decided against it and walked to the back. Everyone was watching him as he did so. Standing right next to Sonic he said, "This is So-Serin, one of my best-est friends, and I found him yesterday in the forest."  
  
Everyone was listening.  
  
"He said he was zapp-oed by a laser and then banged on his head. I took him to my mommy, I did, and she took him to the hostital, and then he came home with us and we took him in and he's really Sonic the Hedgehog!"  
  
Sonic slapped a hand on his face, Ms. Rayne laughed, and the other children were giggling hard.  
  
"It's true!" Cody called out.  
  
Ms. Rayne looked at the clock on the wall. "Well," she said, "It is time for recess, so why don't you bring him with, Cody? That'll prove it."  
  
"Okay!" Cody called out, tugging on Sonic's arm to get him to come along.  
  
"What did I get into now?" Sonic asked himself as he was dragged out to the schoolyard by a six-year-old. 


	10. Sometimes you just have to prove it

Out on the school grounds, kids were filing out of the school in obedient little lines, which got longer as the grades got higher up. Eventually, over three hundred kids were out on the playground. Teachers were bustling to and fro, trying to keep order and peace in the chaos of the playground.  
  
Cody rushed off to start telling kids about what was about to happen. Sonic, however, was silently wishing it wouldn't happen. Before he could do anything, though, a huge whistle blasted. Every child stopped and looked at the source, causing Sonic to feel nervous because the source was right next to him.  
  
Principal Gibbons and Ms. Rayne were standing right next to each other, with Ms. Rayne looking a little winded from the recent blowing of her whistle.  
  
Principal Gibbons cleared his throat, then called out, "For those of you who can't see or hear me, please come closer!"  
  
Sonic could hear a lot of people shifting around in the short silence that followed.  
  
Principal Gibbons looked around. "Good!" he called. "I have an announcement!"  
  
'Maybe I won't have to run anyway,' Sonic thought to himself.  
  
"As you might have noticed," the principal called out, "we have a new School Patrol Guard walking around! ('Great.' Sonic thought while rolling his eyes) He will be making sure no one breaks the rules. He also has permission to hand out detentions, if necessary!"  
  
Several of the children groaned.  
  
"His name is Serin, and you will address him no other way unless he gives you permission!"  
  
Ms. Rayne stopped the principal and whispered something into his ear.  
  
"And," the principal continued afterward, "we will be giving a small example of how effective this young man is."  
  
He looked at Serin and said, "When I clear a path and tell you too, I want you to run as fast as you can to the fence, around the maypole, around the monkey bars, back to the fence, and then back here. Did you get everything?"  
  
Sonic, deciding to feel stupid, nodded.  
  
The principal called out, "Before we can make this demonstration, though, everyone will have to clear a path down the middle here." The kids hastened to obey. "That's good!" the principal finally called.  
  
Sonic took a deep breath to calm himself. He was just making a small circuit, that's all. Nothing to worry about.  
  
He crouched low to the ground and mentally measured the distance to get his footfalls paced evenly. After he had done a good calculation of the entire distance, he nodded at the principal.  
  
"GO!!"  
  
Sonic didn't hear him; he only reacted. He raced over to the fence, to and around the maypole, across the playground to the monkey bars, ran over it, still going top speed, raced back to the fence, and noticed the crowd of kids had massed, once again, into a huge blob.  
  
Sonic did a small hop and, coiling and releasing in seconds, almost flew so high he cleared the kids easily, twirling, twisting and curling so he would land for the greatest effect.  
  
When he landed, he could swear the ground shook slightly, even though he had lost most of the energy in his landing by twisting in the air.  
  
The children looked in awe at the figure of a young man, on one knee with his fist seemingly in the ground, as he looked up at them.  
  
The whole school ground was deathly quiet. 


	11. Famous once more!

The whole crowd erupted into cheers, including the classes still in the building. Sonic stood up and bowed, several times, to soak in the glory of the moment.  
  
"And that's why they call me Sonic!" Sonic called out.  
  
He was being massed by the hundreds of kids in the schoolyard, but he didn't mind. Showing off like this made him feel really good. He noticed Cody was right next to him, so he picked the kid up and put him on his shoulders. Cody felt like he was king of the world up there, and Sonic could understand why.  
  
After the teachers recovered, they got the kids playing again, telling the kids that Serin/Sonic will visit all their rooms in turn, and then a teacher from the rooms that weren't in recess asked if Serin could visit them now.  
  
Eventually it was agreed. Sonic walked inside, his head held high and his spirits even higher.  
  
He was then cornered by one of the school coaches.  
  
"Kid, I saw you running out there! You were amazing!" he gasped, for he had run quite a bit to catch up with Sonic.  
  
"Yeah. Been that way since I was small," Sonic said.  
  
"How would you like to join the Track and Field teams? Or the Cross Country team? Or do you like a different sport? Soccer, basketball? Am I getting close?"  
  
"How about getting farther away!" Sonic grunted while trying the shove the coach out of his face.  
  
And this was only one of the hardships he met while trying to navigate the halls. Several young boys, girls, and even teachers were asking him questions and begging him to do things. Eventually, he just ran to his first destination; Mr. Kipps 8th-grade class, team letter A of three.  
  
He ran into the classroom and slammed the door shut behind him. Leaning against it heavily, he sighed in relief. No more clinging kids and rouge teachers in near crowded halls.  
  
The entire class was staring at him. Suddenly realizing he had interrupted a class without knocking, he started feeling very, very stupid.  
  
"Uh.hi," he said, chancing a small wave at the class.  
  
A few of the girls giggled, and the class started talking among themselves. After a few commands to be quiet by the teacher, Sonic was beckoned to the front of the classroom.  
  
The teacher, Mr. Kipps, than said, "Serin, the class will start asking you questions. Do you mind answering them?"  
  
"Sure," Sonic said, his courage returning, "as long as it isn't too offensive."  
  
A girl raised her hand. "Are you single?" she asked, and was replied with a fit of giggles from around the room.  
  
Sonic smiled. "Actually, no, I'm not. And before you ask, her name is Sally."  
  
The questions continued for quite a while, but eventually Sonic had to leave. He had three more days of this to live through before he got to all the classes.  
  
Nobody, however, noticed the man following Sonic around with a clipboard, taking furious notes. He disappeared slightly before the End-of- School bell rang.  
  
It was like he was never there. 


	12. You asked for it

Sonic came home with Cody on his back, and he was defiantly worse for wear. Cody, however, had had an awesome day, due to the fact that what he had said during Kindergarten class was proven to be true. Sonic just walked in his room and shut the door, flopping on his bed when he got to it.  
  
He moaned as he turned over to his back. He's only been here two days and already he's famous. Again no less. He just wanted to go home. He might have been under siege and worked twenty-four hours, seven days a week when it was needed, but it was home. He had friends there. Friends who treated him like a real friend, not some sort of god or idol.  
  
Except Tails. Bless him. He did both.  
  
Sonic curled over to his side and fell asleep, dreaming of happy days at home.  
  
The next day at school would've been fine if it wasn't for the prank a little after lunch.  
  
Sonic had been walking out of the bathroom (after taking care of some personal needs) when a bucket of seemingly scalding water splashed over his head. On instinct he closed his eyes and grabbed the bucket before it fell out of his grasp, and then waited for the water to cool down enough for him to open his eyes. When he did so, he heard laughing around a corner, and then dashed to see what it was.  
  
Two boys were hiding behind the janitor's closet door, laughing and snickering to themselves. Apparently they thought the classic balanced bucket on a semi-open door was funny.  
  
Sonic felt like trashing them right then and there.  
  
He marched in and looked them sternly in the eye, one hand holding the bucket at them, the other on his hip. "Does this happen to be yours?" he asked.  
  
They didn't answer. They just looked at him and started guffawing. Sonic grabbed each of them around the waist and walked them to the principal's office, balanced on his hips.  
  
As soon as Sonic entered the secretary's room, Sonic knew he had been hit with more than hot water. The secretary looked at him and almost screamed, but then asked, "Serin, what happened to you?"  
  
"Them," he said, motioning towards the kids on his hips the best he could. "Give them a week detention or whatever the principal says if he doesn't agree."  
  
The secretary nodded and took the boys, who now had strange, blue- colored rings around their waists.  
  
Sonic just cringed. He had an idea of what happened. He sped off towards the boy's bathroom and looked in the mirror by the sinks.  
  
He was right. He had been dyed blue.  
  
Before classes could let up and anyone else could get in trouble, Sonic paid a visit to the principal and was sent home. Sonic ran as fast as he could, knowing that a blue human would look really strange.  
  
Luckily, Mrs. Anderson was allowed a day off today as well. As soon as the entire story was told, Mrs. Anderson took his clothes, put him in a bathtub an scrubbed him so hard he turned a delicate shade of pink afterwards. Sonic had never been so embarrassed in his life.  
  
However, no matter how Mrs. Anderson tried, she just couldn't get the dye out of his hair. Sonic never paid attention to it before, so he never bothered to realize that blond hair can turn any color it wants and still look that color. However, after about thirty or so minutes in front of the mirror, he decided he liked the blue hair better. It wasn't Sonic Blue, but it was close enough for now.  
  
Cody came home to see, not his mother at the table, but Sonic wrapped up in the big, fluffy white towel Mrs. Anderson used for her beach towel. He seemed to be sipping some sort of hot drink.  
  
Sonic looked at him, and smiled. "Well, kid," he said, "here's your blue hair." 


	13. New gifts, old foes

Cody's eyes began to gleam as his face brightened. Sonic really was a hero! Especially the kind that would do anything for you.  
  
But Cody had other things to say.  
  
"Sonic! Sonic! Guess what?!" Cody almost screamed with excitement.  
  
"What?" Sonic replied, still sipping his hot chocolate. Mrs. Anderson made good hot chocolate, but it wasn't better than Sally's Choco-Delux Chocolate Winter Drink.  
  
Cody threw off his backpack and dug through it like a mole, looking for something. He eventually brought out a brown paper bag, and held it up. "This!" Cody called.  
  
Sonic sighed. "What's 'this'?" he asked.  
  
Cody's smiled grew broader for a minute, and Sonic could swear it turned sly. "Open it!" Cody dared.  
  
Sonic sighed and opened the bag. Inside was a crudely drawn but cute drawing of him, Cody and Tails holding hands under a big yellow sun, a bag full of blue and orange cookies (Sonic couldn't tell what the shapes were because of all the frosting), and a small, hand stitched doll of his hedgehog self. Attached to the doll was a note that said, "For a hero that's out of this world! -Ms. Rayne"  
  
Sonic didn't know what to say. All these gifts had a lot of work put into them, and all for him. Sonic turned away from Cody before he started crying.  
  
"What's wrong?" Cody asked. "Are you crying? Best-est heroes don't cry, do they?"  
  
"Some do," Sonic choked. This wasn't the first time. Of course, when it was at home, he made sure no one could see him, but he did cry.  
  
Cody crawled into Sonic's lap and snuggled up the best he could. "You like the presents, right?" he asked.  
  
Sonic smiled. "Love 'em!" he said quietly, hugging the kid as hard as he could.  
  
Outside the window.  
  
"The boss is gonna love this tape!" a mysterious man said as he balanced his pocket-sized camera on the window sill. All he needed was a few more minutes of footage and then he'd be off.  
  
The man watched as Mrs. Anderson and her littlest son Carl walk into the room as well. They all started a happy conversation as the person who claims he's Sonic the Hedgehog in human form (with pretty solid evidence) also started holding Carl as well. The man could tell Serin (maybe Sonic) was deeply attached to this family.  
  
Packing up the camera and stuffing it into his pocket, he hit a button on his watch, causing a car to beep twice down the block. He quickly made his way to the car, being careful to look casual in case he was seen.  
  
After he was in his car, he drove for a long time, listening to classical music and the History Channel on radio if he needed to switch stations, and finally came to a very large corporate building. Parking his car in a special place (reserved for him), he went inside and up the elevator to the top floor. There he greeted his boss.  
  
"Sir," he said, "I'm back from my mission."  
  
"Good. Good, Mr. Snively. I trust you did well?" came a deep, almost metallic voice from behind a large chair and desk, put in front of a bright window for effect.  
  
"Yes, sir," Mr. Snively replied. "I got the footage you wanted. I got it in good light, too. It actually isn't-"  
  
"Enough! Leave the tape and go to your office until called. And get something to eat on the way; You don't know how long it might be."  
  
"Yes sir," Mr. Snively said, bowing as he left the room.  
  
The big man chuckled from behind the chair. Soon, very soon, he will have his revenge. In this world, or the next, it didn't matter. He will have it!  
  
"Revenge is close at hand, brother. Revenge is close at hand!" 


	14. A swimming pool of memories

Thankfully the next day was Saturday, allowing Sonic and the Anderson family to spend some quality time at the swimming pool. It was a good thing school was almost over, or Sonic would have a heart attack with all the work he had to do on school grounds.  
  
He almost had a heart attack anyway.  
  
Most of the kids knew him at the pool, and therefore he spent most of his time hiding and trying to be alone while trying to get a tan.  
  
Eventually, Sonic somehow found a nice sunny, isolated spot he could get a decent tan in. The sun was warm and almost buttery as he laid there, while he remembered days of home.  
  
"Hey Sonic! Wanna build a sandcastle?!"  
  
"Not now, Tails. I'm trying to take a nap."  
  
Tails gave him a funny look. "Big people take naps?" he asked, always curious and willing to listen to Sonic talk.  
  
"Yep," Sonic replied, "Even big people take naps. If fact, some people miss it from when they were kids. Tanning on the beach is just another way to take a nap, but the best part is you look good afterwards too."  
  
"Wow." Tails whispered. The kid never knew how important naps were to people. "Should I get a nap-tan too?"  
  
Sonic laughed to himself. The kid was honestly cute sometimes. "Nah," Sonic answered, "You have so much fur it wouldn't make any difference."  
  
Tails started to pout. "What good is all this fur anyway if you can't get a nap-tan?"  
  
"Well." Sonic pretended to think, sitting up and looking up at the sky, "It does make you more."  
  
Sonic suddenly grabbed Tails and gave him a nuggie while shouting, "CUDDLLY!!"  
  
Sonic remembered that day on the beach, the way Tails giggled uncontrollably, the exact fluffy-ness of the clouds. He remembered how hot the sand was, and how much he missed home.  
  
He looked at the kids around him; the ones in the pool, the ones with their parents, the ones with their best friends especially. Something was starting to tug inside him, and he knew he had to be alone.  
  
Sonic then went to the boys room, where he found himself alone enough to cry.  
  
"Maybe it's all a dream." he whispered to himself, still choked by sobs, "Maybe I'll wake up and Tails will be there, wondering why I slept in. Maybe Sally'll be there too, scolding me for being lazy again. Bunny will be cooking breakfast, and Rotor will give me the maps of my morning rounds.  
  
".Maybe none of this is real."  
  
Even though he tried, reality slipped from him too fast to grasp it, to hold on. He let himself be swallowed by the darkness clouding his vision, only too happy to find anything, anything at all, that could prove this was a dream.  
  
Instead of reality slipping, it comes debatable that he might have let go. 


	15. I only JUST got back!

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"  
  
Sonic sat up so fast in bed it scared the person next to him, so badly that the poor kid fell out of his chair. Sonic gasped as he tried to figure out what happened, and where he was.  
  
For some reason, his vision was still very blurry, disallowing him to see where exactly he was. He clawed at his body, afraid of what still might be there.  
  
Rubbing the top of his head, he found that he no longer had hair, but spines! His vision was back enough to see the personalized underground room he had at Knothole Village. It also cleared enough to see the furry young two-tailed fox right next to him, who was still recovering from a fall.  
  
"Sonic?" Tails' voice asked.  
  
It took only a moment to register, but once it did, Sonic couldn't help himself. He grabbed that little fox and gave him the biggest hug Sonic ever gave anybody. No contest.  
  
"Tails! It's really you! I'm back! I'm home!!" he cried, tears running down his cheeks from shear joy as he hugged and squeezed his furry friend.  
  
Tails couldn't help it either. After almost a month of his best friend (and almost parent) being in a coma, Tails starting crying too, also from pure joy. "Sonic! I was so scared!!" Tails sobbed, remembering those lonely days against Dr. Robotnik with no friend that understood him like Sonic did.  
  
Eventually, even though neither of then wanted to, Tails pulled away, and said, "Come on!" Tails had to stop to sniffle and wipe away tears with his arm, "Bunny's gotta have breakfast done by now!"  
  
Sonic smiled. "You betcha, little buddy!"  
  
Sonic probably had no clue how much Tails missed that.  
  
Both of them raced to the main hall, used for conferences, war plans, and mealtimes, as well as a safe place to hang out. Tails was not only bubbling with joy at Sonic's return, but he was also screaming at the top of his lungs, "Sonic's back! Sonic's back!!" the whole way there.  
  
By the time they had gotten to breakfast, all of Knothole Village was following behind, causing Bunny to complain that she had to quadruple the recipe size to make enough pancakes for everyone, but immediately quieted down when she saw Sonic, the Hero of Knothole Village, was back from his long sleep.  
  
There were so many hellos to make and people to greet, Sonic didn't know where to start! He decided to find Sally and say a personal 'Hello' to her before anyone else, being as she was the princess and the cutest one around! However, as he looked for her, he got numerous handshakes and pats on the back (plus an especially hard one from Knuckles), but he could not find Sally anywhere.  
  
Antoine, the French Fox General and Royal Guard of Princess Sally, (Sonic still thought that title was a little long for a coward) would probably know better than anyone else were Sally was, so Sonic tried to look for him. He didn't have to look long, though; To make himself seen, Antoine stood on a chair and cleared his throat for attention.  
  
"Peeple of Knothole Village! I have a announcement to make!" he called through his amazingly thick French accent.  
  
"Hey Ant!" Sonic called, relishing the annoyed look on Antoine's face as Sonic used his favorite nickname for the fox, "Where's Sally?"  
  
"That would be Princess Zally, if you please."  
  
"Okay. Where is Princess Zally?" Sonic said, mocking Antoine's accent, and causing several people to giggle. Tails included.  
  
Antoine fumed, but kept his cool. "My announcement has boff good newz and bad newz. First! Zonic is back among us!"  
  
Everyone cheered.  
  
"Second! Ze bad newz."  
  
Everyone held their breath, including Sonic. He was just praying it wasn't what he thought it was.  
  
"Princess Zally has been kidnapped!!" 


	16. Nothing like a barrier between old pals

Sonic couldn't believe his ears. Sally? Gone? She's too tough for that. She wouldn't go down without a fight. The thought made him smile; At least Robotnik had his hands full!  
  
Antoine kept talking, but Sonic didn't care. This was the princess they were talking about! Turning, he sped down the hall, all the way to the exit to the forest. He was going to get her back, no matter what it took! First day back home and already there are problems!  
  
Tails was the first to notice the sudden lack of blue-ness in the room. On his way to follow, however, he bumped into Knuckles, who had apparently noticed as well.  
  
"I'm coming with," he whispered to the young fox, "I have a feeling Sonic will need us both."  
  
Tails didn't argue. Both of them sped down the hall, trying to catch up to the blue blaze. Unless they headed him off, they were never going to catch him.  
  
Knuckles pulled Tails down a separate hall, just added a few days after Sonic was found in a coma. Therefore, Sonic did not know of this shortcut to the Evil Dr. Robotnik's fortress. After slipping through the door to the outside forest, both of them stood waiting for Sonic. They didn't have to wait long.  
  
"How did you guys get here?" Sonic almost demanded. He was running at top speed! There was no way anyone could get here before he did!  
  
"We took a shortcut," Knuckles explained, looking cool and casual as Tails sniggered behind him.  
  
"No way!" Sonic called out. "I know every secret shortcut there is!"  
  
Knuckles sighed and looked at his knuckles, his pride and weapon, and said, "DID, old timer!"  
  
Tails burst out laughing as Sonic started to fume. " 'Old timer'?!" Sonic almost yelled through clenched teeth, "You're as old as I am!"  
  
"I beg to differ, old man!" Knuckles shot back, laughing to himself.  
  
Sonic sighed, doing his best to keep his temper. "Look," he said, looking Knuckles straight in the eyes, "Like I've told you before, and actually proved, I am not the enemy, so lay off, okay? We're after Dr. Robotnik to get Sally back, remember?"  
  
Knuckles nodded. "Just delaying events."  
  
Tails stopped snickering. "What events?" he asked.  
Sonic looked around, trying to see what Knuckles was talking about. There were trees, the still almost far-off fortress Dr. Robotnik called home, the still almost dark sky of morning, no birds, and no one else for as far as Sonic could see.  
  
Tails was also looking around. "What?" he asked again.  
  
Sonic shook his head. "I've had enough of this," he mumbled to himself, walking toward the fortress, and also preparing to run.  
  
Tails ran to catch up with him. "Wait for me!" he called.  
  
BRRZZT!!  
  
Both Sonic and Tails flew backwards at the sudden jolt of electricity, with Knuckles only shaking his head at them. He wasn't even surprised.  
  
"That," he said. 


	17. A little bit of unimportant info

"What the heck is that thing?!" Sonic yelled over the buzzing and humming of the strange, purple-colored barrier between him and the fortress. It had suddenly revealed itself to be a huge dome covering the entire area around the evil place, as well as the place itself.  
  
"A Bi-Dimensional Barrier! Get away from it before it expands!!" Knuckles called out.  
  
Sonic almost dragged Tails as he got up and sped off toward a tree near Knuckles. Dropping Tails at the bottom, he ran right up the side of the tree to the top, just to see how tall this 'Bi-Dimensional Barrier' was.  
  
He ignored Knuckles' comment of 'being scared like a little kitten up a tree' as he looked around. 'Yep', he thought to himself, 'Whole place is surrounded.'  
  
Sonic jumped, flipped, and landed perfectly in front of the still- stunned Tails and the triumphant-looking Knuckles, and asked, "Okay, how do we get inside that thing?"  
  
Knuckles laughed to himself. "You can't!" he mocked.  
  
"I guessed as much," Sonic mumbled, trying to think. Finally giving up, he asked, "Okay, you are superior this once. How do we get past that thing if we can't go through it and there's no way inside?"  
  
"I didn't say that."  
  
"Yeah you did," Tails piped in.  
  
"No," Knuckles said, "I just said 'You can't'."  
  
"When I asked how do we get inside. I'm not that old. I don't forget stuff," Sonic shot back.  
  
Knuckles pulled out a green Chaos Emerald and a blue-tinted one as well. "There's a way around a BDB, but there isn't a way inside one. Especially here."  
  
"I can guess why it's hard to get inside you," Sonic giggled. Tails walked over and tapped him on the arm, and Sonic whispered something to the curious two-tailed fox, causing him to laugh silently with his blue friend.  
  
"What?" Knuckles asked. "BDB stands for Bi-Dimensional Barrier."  
  
"What about 'Big Dumb Bonehead'?" Sonic quipped.  
  
Knuckles threw a punch at Sonic, who ducked and countered with a punch in Knuckles' stomach. Knuckles coiled as he fell backwards, clutching his stomach and biting his lip to stop the pain. Sonic walked over to him, standing and looking at his rival on the ground. "If I've told you once, I've told you twice. I am not your enemy, Knuckles."  
  
Knuckles looked up at him, still tense in pain.  
  
"Take the green Emerald, give it to Tails. Stand opposite him with the blue one. Hold both above your heads and I'll chant the code to release the mechanism I used to travel. No guarantees that it'll work, though."  
  
Sonic just looked at his friend while Tails stumbled around to grab the Chaos Emeralds. "Why the sudden change of heart?" he asked, intensely curious at this.  
  
"Because you need to go back to your 'dream' to collapse the barrier. That's why it's called a 'Bi-Dimensional Barrier'; it works across two dimensions!" Knuckles explained. "Robotnik disappeared around the same time you went into a coma. I guessed it meant he followed you into your 'dream world' to take care of some business. Most likely it would be getting rid of you."  
  
The barrier began to hum louder and pulse visibly. Knuckles rolled off his back to his feet, looking at Sonic and Tails.  
  
"Get into position! I'll explain later!"  
  
Sonic and Tails got into the position they were told to be in, both equally wondering what was going on. Knuckles chanted some strange words in an alien language, and Sonic felt himself, once again, tear apart.  
  
Even though he was in pain, it brought back flashes of memories in his recent past. The hospital, Carl and Cody, the school, the psychiatrist card.  
  
It just then hit him.  
  
The card had had Robotnik's name on it! 


	18. It wasn't his fault

Sonic woke up, once again groggy as an almost familiar panic took over. Once again he checked himself to see if it really was a dream.  
  
"Whoa, kid, calm down. I'm not gonna hurt you. You did pass out though."  
  
Sonic looked up to see a fiery red-head looking at him, wearing a red vest and white t-shirt and, kneepads, jeans, worn out shoes, and biker gloves, kneeling right beside him. The voice seemed very familiar, however.  
  
"Knuckles?" Sonic mumbled, being as he was still quite nauseous from switching between worlds.  
  
"How'd you guess my nickname?" the guy asked with a wink. "However, I should have known you'd have blue hair."  
  
"Wasn't my fault." Sonic continued to mumble.  
  
Knuckles just rolled his eyes. "Look, I can see that you aren't to accustomed to the temporal sickness caused by dimension travel, and that without the whole Chaos Emerald we don't keep our original forms, and who knows what else, but at least we got here in one piece."  
  
Sonic decided not to say anything.  
  
"Look, we gotta find Robotnik. He's in this world with either Sally, the Bi-Dimensional Barrier Activation Device, or both, and we have no idea where to find him. So, use your fast wits and get us to the 'big bad man' before anything else can go wrong!" Knuckles explained.  
  
Sonic nodded, getting to his feet. "Well, I do know that I still have my speed in this world, but I don't have my spines, so I don't know if that'll be helpful or not. However, I do have an idea of where Robotnik is hiding."  
  
"Yo, hang on," Knuckles said, "Tails is here too, though I don't know if he's in the same area. It might be best to look for him first."  
  
"Tails!" Sonic cried out, suddenly remembering the young fox was involved in the transportation sequence too! Sonic was on his feet in no time, racing out the door of the boy's bathroom (as if he never left) and looked around frantically. Sure enough, talking to Cody, Carl, and Mrs. Anderson as they were beginning to leave, was a young, golden-haired boy with bangs, a stiff pigtail, and overalls.  
  
As Sonic came closer, he heard the conversation between them, and smiled.  
  
".and I ended up here. I'm still looking for Sonic, but I have the idea he's somewhere near here."  
Mrs. Anderson smiled. "Well, if he was keeping track of time, then he should be here any minute."  
  
"Tails!!"  
  
"Sonic! Yay!!"  
  
Tails almost tackled Sonic in a huge hug, thankful that the good friends were undivided yet again. Of course, Sonic returned the hug of his faithful friend.  
  
Knuckles then walked up to the happy little group. "Name's Knuckles," he said, nodding at Mrs. Anderson. "I'd like to thank you for taking care of the hot-headed friend of mine."  
  
Mrs. Anderson laughed. "Don't worry about it; He was an angel! By the way, what's wrong with you're hands?"  
  
Knuckles looked at his palms, fingers spread (yes, he actually had fingers) and said, "I think you're just looking at my knuckles. Looks like I still have them in this world after all."  
  
Sonic nodded. "Now we just have to find Robotnik, and get Sally back. Luckily, I just happen to know where he is." 


	19. He's back

Friends were reunited or met for the first time, but the friendship itself was still unbreakable between them. As Sonic and his friends stayed at the Anderson household, planning attacks against Robotnik while munching Mrs. Anderson's chocolate chip cookies, or watching Cody play Sonic Adventure Battle 2 on Game Cube and munching Mrs. Anderson's chocolate chip cookies, a look at another, not-so-healthy relationship will have to be witnessed.  
  
The office on the top floor of the building was silent. The lone figure, large in size, sat at his desk, watching a small tape on the flat screen of his computer. Near the end, he chanced to look up, to see a figure lounged in the chair in front of him.  
  
The large man called out in alarm, jumping about a foot. "Shaun!" he called, obviously tense, "How many times have I told you not to sneak in here! Knock first!"  
  
"Yo, fat man, 1: I didn't sneak in here, and 2: don't call me Shaun!" the boy replied.  
  
"Of course," the large man replied, "but if you didn't sneak in here, how did you get in this office without my knowledge?"  
  
"You're deaf?"  
  
The man laughed to himself. "Shaun, I like you're attitude. Being your psychiatrist, I do specialize in recognizing good traits within people."  
  
"But I was sent here to get rid of my attitude 'problem'. You sayin' you want me to keep it?"  
  
"Of course! You can work for my other job then!"  
  
"And why should I?"  
  
Once again, the 'fat man' laughed. "Because you're just the type of person I want working for me!"  
  
"And what do I get for it?"  
  
The fat man smiled. "A good salary, people to beat up, and a lovely dame to keep. You up for it?"  
  
"I have to see the 'dame' first."  
  
The fat man nodded and held out his hand to his left. A door slid open, and a young female teenager stumbled out, falling to the ground due to her lack of balance and tied hands. She had soft red hair, a blue vest, and typical female teenage wear worn to make her look more adventurous and wild instead of just feminine. As she looked at the people in the room, she scowled and hissed, "If my hands were untied, Robotnik.!"  
  
Robotnik laughed to himself. "Well, they aren't!" he smirked. "This is your prize," he then said to the young man, still slouched in his chair.  
  
"Sure. Whatever. I'll take the stupid job," the youth replied. "I do hope you'll deliver her to my place, as we agreed?"  
  
The youth didn't wait for Robotnik to answer. "Good. I'll be going then. You've got the number of my cell."  
  
"Wait a minute, Shaun! We didn't agree-!"  
  
"Listen, fat man, I'm leaving. And don't call me Shaun!"  
  
He stopped at the door only to grab his skateboard. However, he did glare into Robotnik's face one last time. But the 'fat man' had his chance to speak first.  
  
"If I can't call you Shaun, what should I call you?"  
  
"Shadow." 


	20. Fast and Furious at your disposal

It was after-school hours on a Monday when it first happened. Sonic was racing through town, as usual, unaware of the fact that someone was waiting for him.  
  
Shaun, a.k.a. Shadow, picked up his cell phone in answer to the ringing tones. From the rooftop of the corporate building, his eyes never left his target below.  
  
"Yo. 'Fast and Furious' at your disposal," Shadow answered.  
  
"I need you to rub someone out for me." a metallic voice on the other end replied. "The dame has already been delivered, so expect her when you return to your apartment."  
  
"So, what'd I gotta do?" Shadow asked.  
  
"You should see a blue-haired teenager running through town. Catch him and destroy him!" was the reply.  
  
"Done," Shadow hissed, leaping from the building. He wasn't scared about landing; He did this all the time.  
  
He landed right in front of the speeding teenager he was supposed to eliminate, and delivered a stable kick to the youth's head.  
  
Sonic flew backwards due to the sudden change in kinetic energy direction. His head started throbbing heavily, as well as his sight was temporarily gone. What hit him?  
  
"Too easy." a voice slyly smirked as Sonic tried to remember which way was up. Something tugged at him. Something about the voice.  
  
Sonic finally found his sight just as a hand roughly grabbed the back of his shirt, jerking him to his feet. "I thought this would be harder." a voice whispered, with a sly smile more evident in his voice than his face. Sonic started seeing blurred shapes, including the shape of a young man, roughly his age, with really black hair and reddish-brown eyes. "I actually thought you'd be a challenge!" the voice mocked.  
  
"Then think again!"  
  
Sonic collided with the ground once again as something slammed into his attacker. He tried getting to his feet, but instead only got as far as lifting his body barely an inch from the ground. He was so tired, and his head hurt so much!  
  
A few winks of sleep wouldn't hurt.  
  
Knuckles punched the attacker across the face, leaving behind four bleeding gashes on the young man's cheek. However, now that the attacker had plenty of time to prepare for Knuckles' next punch, he also attacked. Tails watched in awe as the black-haired man pulled off ten, maybe fifteen punches on Knuckles before he even had time to blink! Knuckles, however, was used to this; Tails couldn't remember how many times Sonic and Knuckles would spar with each other to similar results!  
  
Even so, sirens were heard in the distance. The black-haired young man suddenly stopped, giving Knuckles one last time to connect.  
  
Sonic woke up in his room at the Anderson household. Looking around the best he could without moving, he noticed Tails, Knuckles (who had an ice pack on his face), Cody, Carl, and Mrs. Anderson were all there, waiting for him to revive.  
  
"What happened?" he whispered, barely able to speak.  
  
"As far as I can tell," Tails started to explain, "There's some sort of dark look-a-like of you here on Earth, as I have learned this planet is called. I don't know why he attacked, but he definitely did, but I was nearby enough to call Knuckles and the police, so you're safe now. That guy was as fast as you, Sonic!"  
  
"Nah," Sonic laughed to himself, "He was a smidge too slow. By the way, Knux, what's with the ice pack?"  
  
Cody answered before Knuckles could even open his mouth; "He got a black eye!"  
  
Both Sonic and Knuckles lived by a hit code. One hit during a spar equaled one point. Usually, Sonic was several up on Knuckles, but the rare occasion would allow Knuckles to somehow have a higher score than Sonic at the end of the round. The black eye meant there was another party in the mix, and Sonic and Knuckles were allies by default.  
  
This guy was going down. 


	21. Bad Day and Dame

Shadow slammed the door of his apartment as he walked in. Nobody hit him before! No one was fast enough! How did that red-haired punk sneak up on him?  
  
He lobbed his skateboard under the coach and dropped his backpack at the door. He then followed the skateboard and flopped on the coach.  
  
He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. What was going on, anyway? That blue-haired teen was as fast as he was. No, just a smidge too slow.  
  
Shadow sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his hand. With his eyes squeezed close, he couldn't help but notice how big of a headache he had.  
  
Movement. Shadow was instantly tense. Someone else was in the apartment!  
  
He got up from the couch and silently walked over to the bedroom. Peeking in, he noticed the redhead Dr. Robotnik had promised him. Her hands were still tied, but her feet were as well now. She was also gagged.  
  
Once again, he sighed. Walking in, he pulled out his Swiss Army knife, and cut off the gag first.  
  
"Get away from me!" she shrieked, doing her best to wriggle away from him.  
  
"Look, whoever you are, if I wanted to do anything but cut you loose I probably would have done that by now. However, you're not making this any easier for me," Shadow explained.  
  
The girl just glared at him in stunned disbelief. This allowed Shadow to finish cutting her bonds. When he was finished, he flopped on the large bed next to her, and just breathed a deep sigh. He even closed his eyes in an attempt to relax.  
  
He could tell the girl did her best to shuffle off the bed as soon as he hit, but he didn't care. He knew she wasn't going anywhere.  
  
Even if she tried, he could catch her.  
  
"This place is a mess!" she complained.  
  
"Look, princess, it's where I live and I'll live how I like!" Shadow replied, rolling over so he didn't have to look at her. He had to admit though, she was pretty.  
  
"How do you know who I am?" she asked.  
  
Shadow turned his head as far as he could to look at her. "Excuse me?" he asked.  
  
"I said, 'How do you know who I am?'" she replied. "I don't know who you are, unless your name's Princess. I was just using a pet name that somehow makes girls feel better," Shadow answered. "What's your name, anyway?"  
  
"Princess Sally. Can you tell me where I am?" She looked both scared and confused at the same time. Shadow took a deep breath before he continued.  
  
"You're on Mainstream Avenue, Apartment 34, Floor 3, which currently resides in Chicago of the United States of America on the continent North America, located on the planet Earth."  
  
"Oh." Looking slightly defeated, she walked over to the bed and landed heavily on it. Shadow shifted to a sitting position right next to her, and, fidgeting, looked at the floor with her.  
  
"Nice shoes," he commented, making her jump a bit and blush.  
  
"Thanks," she mumbled. "I don't know where I got them." She looked right into his eyes, and Shadow could almost feel himself starting to like the girl a little more than in a friendly fashion. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked, jarring him back to reality.  
  
"Sure. What'dya wanna say?" he replied.  
  
"I apparently come from a different planet, called Mobius. For all I know, my royal guard Antoine, Tails, Knuckles, and maybe the rest of Knothole village are captured, especially since Sonic went into a coma recently." She looked like she was about to cry.  
  
Shadow put his arm around her shoulders and held her close, letting her silently sob into his shoulder. Why did she trust him so much?  
  
"Speaking of Sonic and Mobius, I have a few of his games. Wanna try playing one?" It was a lousy attempt, but anything to cheer her up would be worth it right about now.  
  
She stared at him for a minute, allowing Shadow to study every detail of her beautiful blue eyes. After a bit of hesitation, she finally replied.  
  
"Sure." 


	22. It's so breathtaking he's speachless!

Sonic could barely make it to work the next morning. He had attained a temporary limp from the attack, as well as occasional 'black outs', which were usually a couple seconds of complete blackness when he looked around. These 'black outs' were usually accompanied by a horrible throbbing headache.  
  
He, however, did accomplish getting Cody and Tails to school. The attendance secretary took one look at him and told him to lie down in the teacher's lounge, and he was only too willing to comply.  
  
He had been sleeping peacefully when the door suddenly burst open to thirty or so kindergarteners and first-graders, all of whom wished to talk to him.  
  
Ms. Rayne was also there, and she gently shook him awake.  
  
"Wha? What's going on?" Sonic yawned.  
  
"The students have a little present for you," Ms. Rayne replied, smiling brightly. Stepping out of the way, Sonic could finally see the kindergarteners and first-graders, with Cody and Tails up front.  
  
"GET WELL SOON!!" they all called out. Sonic didn't know whether to cringe from the sudden increase in noise or laugh at the cuteness of the very thing. He just did a little bit of both.  
  
All the kids either gave him cards or recited something they had written for him. Tails gave him a snack bought from the local cafeteria vending machine, and Cody gave him another drawn picture of him, Cody and Tails.  
  
Sonic was on the verge of happy tears. All these people cared so much about him! "Thank you," he whispered, trying not to cry as he did so.  
  
He would never forgive Cody for this.  
  
"GROUP HUG!!" Cody yelled at the top of his lungs.  
  
Within seconds, Sonic was buried in mounds of young kids, all of whom tried to get to him first. It was cute, but Sonic was starting to lack something he desperately needed.  
  
"Boys! Girls! Get off him! He needs to breathe!" Ms. Rayne yelled, doing her best to lug the kids off the pile.  
  
Eventually, all the kids were back in order. All of them needed to get back to class, which is where they eventually went. However, Tails stayed behind.  
  
"Sonic?" he whispered. It was so quite now; it seemed like a sin to talk above a whisper.  
  
"Yeah?" Sonic replied, holding his head due to another 'black out'.  
  
"Will you get better?"  
  
Sonic smiled and held out his hand for Tails, who he currently couldn't see. After something touched his hand, he pulled the little guy close to give him a personal hug.  
  
"'Course I will, little buddy. Nothin' keeps your ol' pal Sonic down for very long!" Sonic answered.  
  
Tails just said, "Good," and snuggled close. Sonic was beginning to see again, but, even so, his life wasn't getting any easier.  
  
To make things worse, he still needed to find Sally! 


	23. The Cruel Irony of Cell Phones

Shadow emerged from his humble kitchen with a canned Coke in hand. The girl who called herself Princess Sally just continued to baffle him, over and over again. First, she says she's from Mobius, but she can't be, because she isn't a chipmunk. Second, she seems infinitely fascinated by the Sonic the Hedgehog videos and games he had been collecting ever since he was a kid. She was even picking out 'flaws', such as the Sonic sprite on the earlier games was "too fat" and "too short", while the newer ones didn't color the eyes right. It wasn't the perfect shade of green she remembered.  
  
Thirdly, and most importantly, she never tried a Coke before!  
  
Shadow walked over to the couch and sat down next to the girl, who was apparently enjoying her second day in his apartment by playing video games. He was never one to complain much, but couches are meant for sitting, not sleeping!  
  
"This is my last Coke. Wanna sip?" he asked.  
  
"If it's your last one, I don't think I want any part of it," she replied. Sally's eyes seemed permanently glued to the television screen, still playing the old Sonic the Hedgehog games on his Collections disk for GameCube. She was actually quite good at the games, which also surprised Shadow.  
  
Shadow pressed the issue: "I can get more. Do you wanna sip or not?"  
  
She sighed and paused her game. "Fine, I'll try it." Shadow was even kind enough to pop the can for her.  
  
Sally sipped the drink and giggled as she swallowed. "It tickles!" she exclaimed in gleeful joy.  
  
Shadow did his best to ignore the cuteness of the action. "It's supposed to do that. Most people call it fizz, and it's the stuff that makes you-"  
  
Sally burped before he could finish, so he just concluded by saying, "Do that." He couldn't help but smile at poor Sally, who was currently holding a hand over her mouth and blushing.  
  
Snickering to himself, Shadow continued, "You really shouldn't worry about it. The only people who care about that kind of thing are the Valley Girls, and they happen to be a minority. Plus, I don't care, so burp all you want."  
  
Sally smiled at his kind words. "You remind me of a good friend of mine," she said, still smiling, but putting the popped can down.  
  
Shadow picked it up from the coffee table and answered, "Oh really? Would it be Sonic, perhaps?" He then sipped his Coke in what he hoped was a Sherlock Holmes impression.  
  
"Yes, actually," Sally replied, looking quite sad now. Before Shadow could speculate on whether he had said something wrong or not, she said, "You're just so much like him, it's hard to believe you aren't him!"  
  
She looked like she was about to cry again, so Shadow did the most daring thing he could thing of:  
  
He hugged her.  
  
Whispering into her ear, he told her, "If I'm so much like him, it shouldn't be so hard to pretend then, would it?"  
  
Sally made a noise, like she was about to say something, but she was rudely interrupted by Shadow's cell phone, which started ringing Halls of the Mountain King. (Fun Fact: This song was used as the theme song for the early Sonic the Hedgehog television series. It seemed to appeal to the little hedgehog simply because of the fast and increasing speed of the repetitive song.)  
  
"'Cuse me," Shadow whispered, pulling away, even though he hated doing so. Turning away, he answered the cell phone with his usual, "Yo. 'Fast and Furious' at your disposal."  
  
The same metallic voice from before answered. "Ah, Shadow, I have another task for you." 


	24. We found her!

When Sonic got back to the Anderson Household that evening with Cody and Tails, the 'black outs' were all but gone. Knuckles was in the family room, waiting for them and entertaining Carl by playing one of the more recent Sonic the Hedgehog games.  
  
"Yo," Sonic said in his usual cocky way, "'Fast and Furious' is back! With my humble sidekicks, Tails the Terrible and Commander Cody!"  
  
Knuckles laughed as Cody tugged Sonic's sleeve and asked, "For real?"  
  
Sonic laughed to himself as he said, "Nah, just kiddin' bud. However, you can be my sidekick's sidekick if he doesn't mind." Sonic nodded towards the ever proud young Tails right next to him.  
  
"Can I can I can I please?" Cody blurted, running over to Tails, who was currently feeling quite 'high and mighty' for his size.  
  
"I don't know." Tails teased, "it's kind of a dangerous job, bein' a sidekick."  
  
"Pleeeaaaasssseeee?" Cody begged.  
  
Tails looked up at Sonic, and, after receiving a nod, said, "Sure. You can be my sidekick!"  
  
"Yay!" Cody called with joy. "When do we fly the Tornado?"  
  
"As soon as you learn how. Com' on!" Tails called, running into the kitchen for crayons and construction paper. Of course, Cody followed.  
  
Knuckles had paused his game long enough to get over his giggling fit, but currently had resumed the play. "So," Sonic asked, even though Knuckles looked like the blue-haired teen was talking to deaf ears, "What'd ya find out about the psychiatrist ward?"  
  
"Just what we hoped to learn. Dr. Robotnik is a specialist there in 'unruly teens'. I've heard that a few of his 'patients' are currently 'missing in action' and a few have even been turned up as if they were completely brain- dead. However, none of these cases were connected back to the good ol' doctor!"  
  
"No surprise." Sonic mumbled, watching the game Knuckles was currently playing. "I look like a spiked mouse." Sonic complained.  
  
"Whatever," Knuckles mumbled. "By the way, doesn't this sound familiar to the robotisizing Dr. Robotnik used to do on Mobius?"  
  
"Exactly similar," Sonic agreed. "He used to hypnotize them before he really turned them into robots. Apparently, when he's on a new world, he has to start all over."  
  
"Too bad you don't have any rings here," Knuckles said as he watched his character (currently his old Knuckles self) fall of the edge of the playing field and die below.  
  
"Yeah." Sonic whispered to himself. There has been barely any good news today.  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"Yeah," Knuckles said while using his last continue, to the happy giggling behind them from Carl. Sonic jumped because he had completely forgotten the little tot was there. "Mrs. Anderson doesn't feel like cooking tonight, so we're ordering out for pizza. Any preferences?"  
  
"Nah. I'll try whatever she gets." Sonic sat on the floor next to Knuckles and hugged his knees. "I miss Sally, I miss Bunny Rabbot's cooking, I miss Antoine's ramblings, I miss Rotor's crazy ideas.Heck! I miss home altogether!"  
  
Knuckles didn't comment on the 'missing home' feeling. "Hey, we can go home as soon as we destroy the Bi-Dimensional Barrier. Plus, I just remembered something!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I know where Sally is!" 


	25. Ever watched twins race?

Shadow waited patiently at his post, just watching for anything to move. The blue-haired teen he was supposed to eliminate was too dazed to see who he was, but he'd have to say as little as possible, or so much that the other guy won't be able to speak. However, he did get a name;  
  
He had to hunt Serin Anderson.  
  
He leaned back and stretched while sitting on the bench. It was almost dusk, but the park was still peaceful and quiet from the usual ruckus of little kids. He could see his bedroom window from where he was sitting, actually. He could see the light on and Sally's figure silhouetted on the curtains.  
  
He shook his head to clear it. There was no way she was beautiful enough to distract him! He learned his lesson a long time ago!  
  
Movement. Shadow saw something zipping along the path as fast as he could run, and he knew only one person that could do that.  
  
He stretched again, but this time, stretched out his legs into the path. Far enough to trip the speeding teenager.  
  
Sonic didn't even notice. He liked his evening run, mostly because he could just run and he didn't need to thing. This little incident, however, was able to place several thoughts of pain and rage into his already bruised skull.  
  
Shadow rushed over to the fallen teenager, pretending to be concerned. "I'm so sorry! I was just sitting here-I didn't see you! Are you okay?"  
  
By now, Shadow was at Sonic's side, trying to help him to his feet. Sonic, however, retaliated much more aggressively.  
  
"Back off!" Sonic called. "I'm already in pain and I don't need more bruises!" he yelled.  
  
Shadow did back off as Sonic got to his feet. "Sorry about that.Oh yeah! Serin! I've heard about you around town. Seems you're a hit at the local grammar school. Rumor has it you're the only one as fast as me!"  
  
"What?" Sonic asked, apparently shocked at this little comment. "You can run as fast as I can?"  
  
"You know what?" Shadow interrupted, "How about I take you for some free pizza? An accident must be repaid!"  
  
Sonic eyed Shadow with suspicion. "Already had pizza for dinner." he mumbled, suspicion creeping into his voice.  
  
"Then how about the local arcade? Since we were talking about speed, there's a new Sonic the Hedgehog Video Arcade out at the local mall. If we hitch a ride, we can get there in, around, twenty minutes. Up to it?"  
  
Sally always used to tease Sonic for his huge ego and pride. "Why not?" Sonic asked, with a little plan of his own forming behind his eyes. "But why hitch a ride? Why not race there?"  
  
"Mostly because I'd leave you in the dust!" Shadow challenged, with his own ego problem coming to light.  
  
"You're on!" Sonic said, closing the challenge with his words.  
  
Both of them got into a starting position, slipping into a strange trance, only used when they were running for serious business. Not only were the positions and trances used for maximum efficiency and speed, but, to the normal passerby, they were exactly the same!  
  
Sonic whispered, just a split second before Shadow could start to whisper himself, "On three. One. Two."  
  
While speeding to the local mall, both of them yelled at the same time:  
  
"THREE!!" 


	26. Did I say Twins?

Both of them were speeding faster than the cars on the highway. The race was mainly simple, but still contained enough street-crossings and turns to keep a racer weary. Every street had to be crossed with a leap, and every turn had to be defeated with amazing reflexes and friction, which was a complex formula of leaning and twisting. Even the mention of the numbers to a regular racer would make his skin crawl.  
  
The mall was finally in sight! Both used their last burst of speed and made it to the front sidewalk at exactly the same time. Both burst through the doors at exactly the same time! Both skid to a stop, not only the same way, but at exactly the same time!  
  
Sonic stood there for a minute, panting and leaning on his knees. "You.didn't win." he panted.  
  
"No.you.didn't.either!" Shadow panted in reply.  
  
"Well, if I didn't win.and you didn't.then it's a tie?" Sonic asked.  
  
"Fine.with me." Shadow replied.  
  
"Let's go to.the arcade." Sonic gasped.  
  
"Sure." Shadow was just too tired to argue.  
  
Even so, they had run too hard to actually make it to the arcade without passing out, so they just sat on one of the few benches scattered around for tired shoppers. Shadow had been to the mall several times before, but Sonic had only passed by it a few times. He had never actually been in it!  
  
Looking around in awe and trying to catch his breath at the same time proved slightly difficult for Sonic, who was currently marveling at the high ceilings and many shop fronts. After seeing a game store nearby, and seeing the current game on sale was a particularly nasty one about vampires, Sonic suddenly remembered something.  
  
"Yo, whatever-your-name-is, where'd you get those scratches on your face?"  
  
"Wha?" Shadow asked, looking at the blue-haired teen with mild confusion. Then he remembered. The fight! The punk with the spiked knuckles got him on both sides of his face!  
  
"Oh, that!" Shadow laughed, instantly thinking of an excuse. "Ex girlfriend. Very nasty when she's riled!"  
  
"Ouch!" Sonic winced. "That bad, huh?"  
  
"Yep," Shadow agreed. "And all I did was-"  
  
"Excuse me."  
  
"Yeah?" Sonic and Shadow answered at the same time.  
  
"I guess that proves it, but I should ask anyway!" a bright-looking male teenager said, while smiling and giggling to himself. He was wearing a white apron and matching cap, both of which read, "Dairy Delights" in bright, balloon-like letters. "Are you too twins, by any chance?"  
  
Shadow replied before Sonic could. "Yeah! I'm Shaun, and this is Serin. I'm the older one, if you wanted to know."  
  
While Sonic gave Shadow a nasty glare behind his back, the teen then asked, "Really? By how much?"  
  
"Ten minutes," Shadow replied. "Why?"  
  
"You two just qualified for our free ice-cream giveaway!" the teen called, dragging the two of them to a nearby store, where Knuckles and Tails just happened to be munching some ice-cream with the Anderson family. 


	27. Worried Friends and Similar Foes

The teen sat them down at the counter and called for his boss. Sonic, given this little time of peace, hissed at Shadow, "What in Mobius do you think you're doing?!"  
  
"One, I'm getting us some free ice-cream," Shadow relied, "and two, what do you mean by Mobius? You like the Sonic games too?"  
  
"One, I don't care much for ice-cream, and two, I.I'm a good Sonic fan too," Sonic answered, starting with an angry tone but losing it by the time he finished.  
  
"That's just scary," Shadow whispered. "I've been a fan of his since I was two years old!"  
  
Sonic was slipping easily into his own fan. He already was his own fan! "That is scary," Sonic then added, "'cuz that's the same for me!"  
  
At that time, the manager finally came to get their orders. However, someone at the other side of the small shop was a little curious.  
  
"Knuckles, do those two look familiar to you?" Tails asked, pointing to the two figures of Sonic and Shadow, even though the faces could not, at the present time, be seen.  
  
"Tails, Sonic worked hard to earn this money, and if he wants to spend it by getting us ice-cream while he's out running, then fine by me! So please don't stir up trouble," Knuckles replied, feeding ice-cream to a giggling Carl while Cody and Mrs. Anderson were getting their orders.  
  
Tails, still a little confused, licked his vanilla ice-cream while he thought about it. "Knuckles, I think that black haired kid the other day was wearing that same jacket. Plus, that guy has black hair. I know it might be someone else, but what if he has the same brown-red eyes and scratches on his face? And if that is Sonic, he was out cold before he could know who was attacking him! He could be in really big danger, Knuckles!!" Tails cried, looking at Knuckles with the best pleading look he had.  
  
Knuckles was thinking to himself so wholeheartedly that Carl stole the little ice-cream spoon and began feeding himself, all without Knuckles' knowledge. "Fine!" Knuckles sighed, "We'll check them out."  
  
However, as he turned to see the two teens in question, they had already left.  
  
"So your name is Shaun?" Sonic asked, finally getting around to introductions.  
  
"Yep," Shadow replied, licking his ice-cream as he walked to the arcade with Sonic. "At least, it was last time I checked."  
  
Sonic chuckled to himself. "Cute," he said, rolling his eyes and munching his own ice-cream, which happened to be the same flavor. "My name's Serin, but it didn't used to be."  
  
"Seriously?" Shadow asked, slowly coming to the conclusion that he was getting in a little too deep with this blue-haired look-alike. "What'd it used to be?"  
  
"I.You know what? Just forget it. Ah! The arcade!" Sonic exclaimed, obviously trying to change the subject. "So, how many quarters each?"  
  
Shadow dug into his pockets for spare change. "I have.$17.45. That would be."  
  
Both said at the same time, "Sixty-nine quarters total, right?" 


	28. Return of the Cell Phone!

Shadow opened the door to his apartment, closed it quietly, and tiptoed his way to the living room. Sally would probably be asleep by now, and he didn't need to wake her up for any reason. However, as he walked into the living room, she was awake, wearing one of his big t-shirts for pajamas, staring at the empty television screen.  
  
"What's up?" he asked, coming over and shutting off the television. His words, however kind they were meant to be, still startled her greatly.  
  
"Nothing!" she hastily replied, blushing heavily at the fact that she was currently wearing only the t-shirt for any type of covering.  
  
"Somethin's up," Shadow said with slight suspicion in his voice. He sat next to her in the still darkness, and took her hand to try and comfort her. "You can tell me. I try to live up to an honest life when I believe someone deserves it. You more than qualify for the guarantee of secrecy."  
  
She looked away from him, still blushing. "I was just trying to figure out.that if Dr. Robotnik is here.is Sonic too? And if he is, does he know.? Is he looking for me? Should I look for him?"  
  
Shadow held her close again, letting her sob in peace and again wondering why she trusted him so much. She had said it was hard to believe he wasn't the great Sonic the Hedgehog, even though he wasn't three feet tall and covered with blue spines. If he acted the same way, talked the same way, without trying to, could he kiss the same way?  
  
But he was too scared to try. "Shh." he whispered, "It's alright. I know the Dr. Robotnik as my psychiatrist. I also know how he'd do anything to destroy Sonic the Hedgehog. Putting these two things together, I know where he is!"  
  
Sally pulled away just far enough to look into his face. "You do?" she gasped, seemingly too surprised to believe what he had just said.  
  
"Yeah-"  
  
Halls of the Mountain King started playing on his cell phone again. Sighing, he picked it up, clicked the answer button, and pressed it to his ear.  
  
"Yo. 'Fast and Furious' at your disposal," he answered.  
  
"Shadow! Good, good.Am I interrupting anything?" the same metallic voice answered.  
  
"Yeah, but has that ever stopped you before?" Shadow asked, very apparently annoyed.  
  
"Quite right; it never has!" the other voice laughed. "But on to other matters. How are you feeling?"  
  
"What, is this a free session over the phone or something?" Shadow asked. His tone did everything but reflect the look of extreme apology to Sally, who was just sitting next to him on the couch, arms crossed and shivering slightly.  
  
Shadow put his arm around her to keep her at least a little bit warmer while he listened to the answer. "I was just curious. My secretary is currently out searching for remains. Where can he find them? If at all?"  
  
Shadow smiled and snickered into the phone. "Let me put it this way; He never had a chance!" 


	29. Now you know what happened!

"I swear, if I had just seen that chance...!" Sonic fumed.  
  
"What happened?" Knuckles asked, pulling out the sleeping bag from under Sonic's bed. There were only so many beds in the house, and Sonic had already claimed the only extra one, so Knuckles slept on the floor in Sonic's room and Tails slept with Cody in Cody's room. Cody didn't mind; After all, he was the sidekick's sidekick now!  
  
"I was playing Mortal Combat at the arcade against some kid I met and he wiped the floor with me! At least, he did with my character. Jeez, that kid can really mash those buttons!" Sonic replied, still cross and he crawled into bed.  
  
Knuckles laughed to himself. "You mean to tell me that you're so cross because someone actually beat you in a video game?" he chuckled.  
  
"No. I'm so cross because someone beat me in an arcade game, and his name was Shaun. Plus, that was the first time I ever played the game anyway, so how was I supposed to know all the moves?" Sonic demanded.  
  
"I have no idea," Knuckles smiled, continuing to laugh to himself. "However, it's still a first."  
  
"Tell me about it," Sonic grumbled, staring at the ceiling. Today had been a bad day. "Anyway, did you find Sally yet?"  
  
"Always thinkin' about her?" Knuckles teased, catching Sonic's pillow and throwing it back. "Actually, no. She wasn't in the complex when I checked. I think they moved her. On a different note, who is Shaun anyway? Would I know him?"  
  
"I don't think so. And can you turn off the lights tonight? You're still closer to the door then I'd ever be," Sonic nagged.  
  
"That's only because you actually have the bed," Knuckles complained as he turned off the lights and crawled back into his sleeping bag. "And about Shaun. What's he look like? Hair color? Eye color?"  
  
"Well, he had a black cotton jacket with a hood on, and he wore jeans like mine, and he also had red sneakers, like mine but a different design. His hair was a really deep black, but I could swear there were red highlights in it, and his eyes matched his hair; deep black-like brown with a strange red tint. Other than that, he could run as fast as me and even acted like me. We talked in unison at least three times while we were at the arcade!" Sonic rolled over and looked at Knuckles on the floor. "Why?"  
  
Knuckles was just staring at him. "Sonic," he whispered, almost in awe, "that was the guy who attacked you yesterday."  
  
"You're kidding!" Sonic almost yelled, but remembered to drop his voice at the last second. "I haven't met a nicer guy my own age in years!"  
  
"Hey! What about me?" Knuckles demanded.  
  
"You said it yourself once. 'I'm at least a few months older than you!' However, Shaun was born the exact day I was! And, taking into accord how alike we are, I wouldn't be surprised if he was born the exact second too!" Sonic shot back.  
  
"Still, nice guy or not, he was the one that brained you the other day!" Knuckles said in his fact voice. Whenever he used that voice, there was no changing his opinion.  
  
"Prove it!" Sonic challenged.  
  
"I had to scrub my hands so hard the skin almost came off when I got here yesterday. Why? I had punched the attacker, twice, across the face. One punch for each cheek. That means he had four slash marks with a slight downward angle on each side of his face. Did Shaun have marks matching the descriptions?" Knuckles replied.  
  
Sonic, holding the rage in himself, said, "Yeah, he did." 


	30. The Other Hunter

Sonic was doing his usual early morning runs that the next day. For some reason, living on earth for a while had kicked him into the habit of waking up early in the morning. It didn't matter today, however; He had someone to hunt.  
  
That person's name was Shaun.  
  
Sonic was boiling with revenge. He didn't even have anything to worry about, either. Mrs. Anderson was at work, Cody was with Tails, Tails was with Knuckles, and Carl was at the daycare. Plus, it was a Saturday, so there wasn't any school to worry about. Currently, Knuckles, Tails and Cody were all at the local scrap yard, picking up pieces to build a new 'Earth Style' Tornado. Sonic just couldn't wait to be able to fly again.  
  
It would definitely be easier to find his enemy, anyway.  
  
Even so, he was slightly confused. His enemy had plenty of chances the day before to snuff him out, and yet he didn't! The question was why. Why didn't he take his chances? Why didn't he do anything about it at all?  
  
Sonic just continued to race along the sidewalk. He didn't want to think anymore. He just wanted to find Sally, get rid of that black-haired copycat, and go home! That's it! Was that too much to ask?  
  
Apparently Fate thought so.  
  
Sonic was eventually bored of looking around, and finally came to a stop at a Stop and Shop near a gas station. He could at least buy a Coke while he was waiting. And maybe a doughnut too. He hadn't had breakfast yet.  
  
The door dinged as he walked in. The only ones there were the shopkeeper, right behind the counter and cash registrar, and two other people, who happened to be talking.  
  
"You told me you knew where he is!" It was some female yelling at someone. By the sound of her voice, she was young, like a teenager, and spunky, like a chipmunk he knew...  
  
"I know where he was! But I have connections! I can find out where he is!" A male voice, also familiar and of the teenage range.  
  
"This is hopeless! I'm stuck on a different world with no friends and no hope of getting back!"  
  
"Sally?"  
  
It was desperate, but he could swear that was her voice! It had to be! It has got to be!  
  
"Who are you?" a red-head demanded. She was obviously tense and was currently hanging out with a black-dressed teen, but Sonic was too preoccupied to find out who he was.  
  
"It's me! Sonic! The 'True Blue', as you used to call me?" Sonic answered, walking down the isle toward her.  
  
She loosened. "Sonic?" she asked, almost as if it was too good to be true.  
  
"Yeah! It's me!" he replied.  
  
She was just too happy for words. Sally ran straight into his arms and kissed him affectionately. Unlike Shadow, Sonic wasn't too scared to kiss back; he was just glad to have Sally back, beautiful as ever.  
  
However, before Sonic could pull away and ask who the black teen was, Shadow was already gone. 


	31. WARNING! Shadow looses his temper!

Shadow didn't know where he was going. He was just running as fast as he could, no matter where that took him. He had had his chance at love, and completely missed it.  
  
To add to that, he had been sent to kill the only guy he thought was cool!  
  
Shadow pulled out his cell phone and clicked one of the speed-dial numbers. He needed some psychiatrist help.  
  
"Yo, doc, pick up!" Shadow sobbed.  
  
"Hello. Dr. Robotnik's office. This is his secretary, Mr. Snively. How may I help you?" was the answer.  
  
"P-please connect me to the doctor! Now!!" Shadow continued to cry.  
  
"Hello, this is Dr. Robotnik. May I ask who's calling?" a familiar metallic voice asked.  
  
"You stupid bastard!!" Shadow screamed. "If I had only known!"  
  
"What are you saying?" the doctor asked.  
  
"You ruined my life! Don't expect to sleep tonight, for if you do, I guarantee you won't wake up!"  
  
Shadow slammed the cell phone shut, heading straight home. He needed to sleep.  
  
As soon as he got home, he flopped right into his bed, sobbing into his pillow. He had lost his family, friends, and now this!  
  
He couldn't do anything to stop the memories suddenly overtaking him. The screaming, the dying, and all of it his fault.  
  
Even without intending too, he silently slipped into a coma, reality slipping from his grasp.  
  
However, it could be argued that he had let go...  
  
"Hey! He's waking up! So, Sonic, what's with the new look?"  
  
"Wha—?" Shadow mumbled, still too weak to talk. He remembered being upset and then falling asleep...but now he felt a little weird...  
  
Panic grabbed so suddenly it scared the person next to him. His jacket was gone, as well as practically everything else, except for his shoes and socks. He was also in a completely different body. A hedgehog body!  
  
Staring at his hands, he just mumbled to himself, "Where am I?" not even expecting a reply. However, he did get one.  
  
"Why, yur in Knothole Village, shuga."  
  
Shadow jumped and looked next to him, only to see a half robot rabbit, a walrus, and a fox wearing a uniform.  
  
"Zee peepel of this village are glad too have yoo back, Zonic!" the fox exclaimed, bowing as he did so. "Onother stroke if luck iz the abzenze of Dr. Robotnik while yoo were zleeping." The only thing that made things worse was the fact that the fox was rolling his r's and Shadow was instantly jealous. He had flunked French class for that one reason only.  
  
"You know, that's great, but, you've got the wrong guy!" 


	32. Rotor, Antoine, and Bunny

"Hang on. What?" the purple walrus asked.  
  
"I'll give you a hint. The name's Shadow."  
  
Instantly, the three of them pulled away and started murmuring to each other. "Ee izant Zonic?" "But Sonic's gone!" "Look, this ain't explainin' itself, so why don't we ask our guest?"  
  
The half-robot rabbit walked back over to the bed. "Welcome, stranger!" she said as she waved with her robotic hand. "This be Knothole Village, home of tha Freedom Fighters! On a scoutin' mission, one o our guys found ya, an we brought ya back here fer safety. We're mighty sorry about mistakin' ya, but you do look a might like Sonic!"  
  
"Actually, I've heard that before. But if you don't mind, I'm a might claustrophobic," Shadow answered, mocking the rabbit's Southern accent.  
  
"Sorry, suga. Didn't notice."  
  
She backed away, once again revealing the walrus and fox behind her. "Oh, I fergot to mention. This fox here is Antoine, but he's been called Ant for short—"  
  
"Which can be called in inzult!" Antoine cried.  
  
"And the walrus here is our mechanic, Rotor."  
  
"Yo!" Rotor added.  
  
"And I'm the beautiful Bunny Rabbot! Note the shape and parts. If it wasn't thanks to Sonic, I wouldn't be 'alf here by now!" she laughed. But she soon calmed down. "Now that we're done with introductons, would ya like a tour?"  
  
"I wouldn't mind, if that's what you're asking," Shadow replied.  
  
Even though this was Knothole Village, the place of his dreams, he couldn't concentrate too what Bunny was saying. Now he knew how Sonic and Sally felt in his world; out of place and like a freak!  
  
At least he was still his old black self, jacket or no jacket. And Sonic still had a blue head. He felt like an idiot!  
  
Just on a whim, he slipped away for a few minutes, seeing if his predictions were true, and eventually found the exit.  
  
Freedom! No longer would he hide in an underground hole! He was supposed to be free, and free he shall be!  
  
He knew one thing for sure; He was going home on his own.  
  
He was racing through the forest at top speed, laughing to himself at the idiocy of the people he left behind. They had no clue who they were talking to, nor did they know where Sonic was at the time.  
  
But how could they? Both Sonic and their precious Sally were on a different world, completely foreign to them. Still, Mobius was beautiful, even with the dark clouds on the horizon.  
  
He was starting to think he didn't even want to go home anymore. He didn't have any family, and the only thing he did care about was stolen from him by the vary idol he treasured as a child.  
  
If life had abandoned him, he was going to abandon life! He was going to live on his own, for his own, and without limitations or friends!  
  
But then, he met her.  
  
"Sonic, you're back!!" 


	33. Speed has its drawbacks

"But he saved my life!"  
  
"But he tried to destroy mine!"  
  
Both Knuckles and Tails agreed that the arguing between Sonic and Sally about the disappearance of Shadow was starting to get very tiring, especially since they were starting to repeat themselves.  
  
"How about this? We defeat Dr. Robonik and then look for Shadow. That way we don't have to worry about getting killed while we're at it!"  
  
Knuckles and Tails both sighed in relief. An agreement has finally been reached!  
  
Mrs. Anderson poked her head into the room. "Now that you're finished fighting, could I get a word in?"  
  
"Sure, Mrs. Anderson," Sonic answered. "What'd ya want?"  
  
"Sonic, could you and Knuckles sleep in the living room so the princess could have a place to sleep?"  
  
Knuckles murmured something about finally getting revenge on Sonic for hogging the bed, but Sonic ignored it. "Anything for the princess, not only of her land but of her beauty!"  
  
"So, there's no hard feelings?" Sally asked.  
  
"'Course not. I understand where you're coming from, but I really wish you'd see it from my side. Sure, I also know him as a nice guy, but, well...See this bruise on the side of my face?" Sonic asked, turning his head to the left, showing a nasty black-and-blue mark on the right side of his face, right next to his ear. It stretched from a little above his eye to the line of his chin. "This is what he gave me when we first met."  
  
"I see," Sally nodded, suddenly feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry. I should have looked at both sides."  
  
"I'm sorry too," Sonic added. Holding out his arms for her, he then said, "And I forgive you. Are the feelings mutual?"  
  
She smiled and accepted his invitation for a hug. "Of course," she whispered, safe in his arms.  
  
Sonic tried his best to ignore the teasing comments from Tails and Cody, who were soon quieted by Mrs. Anderson. No matter what world they were on, Sonic still felt happy and content when he hugged the princess of his world and his heart.  
  
However, he did not like what he saw when he opened his eyes.  
  
Just so it is known, the current location of the recent happenings was in the living room, with Knuckles standing by the entrance to the hallway and kitchen and Tails and Cody in the middle of the room, right in front of the couch, playing video games on the floor. Carl had been with Mrs. Anderson, who was currently in the kitchen making lunch with Carl's help. Carl had been the official taste-tester.  
  
That had all shifted when Sonic and Sally had hugged. Mrs. Anderson was now next to the young boys playing on the television, even though Carl was still in his booster seat in the kitchen, as quiet as ever. Knuckles had been upstairs and back, with his sleeping bag, and was currently setting it up on the couch. Of course, Sonic didn't think this action was fair.  
  
Unfortunately, Knuckles had the perfect comeback;  
  
"If you don't wait for time, time won't wait for you!" 


	34. Never fear! Amy Rose is here!

"Amy?!"  
  
"Yay! He remembers me!"  
  
When we last left Shadow, he had been running in the forest of Mobius Wood, when he met a mysterious girl who seemed to recognize him. That girl, unfortunately, was Amy Rose.  
  
"Doi! Whole world knows you!" Shadow replied while doing his best to dodge the hug suddenly aimed at him.  
  
"At least I'm famous..." she giggled. "Come on, Sonic! Don't you remember the times we had together?"  
  
"I'm sure they were torturous. Look, Amy, I'm not—!"  
  
"Sonic, you enjoyed them! Come on, what about the picnic last week?" she pleaded, trying her best to look cute and innocent. "You had a great time, remember?"  
  
"Because he was tied and gagged, yeah, he had a great time! For the last time, I'm not S—"  
  
"What's with the talking in third person?" Amy asked, interrupting Shadow for the second time.  
  
"BECAUSE I'M NOT SONIC, DAMMIT!!" Shadow yelled at the top of his lungs.  
  
Amy broke down and started to cry. "I'm so s-sorry!" she sobbed. "Sonic's been gone for so long I...I...! WAAAAAHHHHHH!!"  
  
Shadow sighed. It had not been his day.  
  
"Look, Amy, why don't you help me find Sonic then, okay? You'd do anything for him, right?" Shadow asked, hoping he'd get a positive answer.  
  
"I'd die for him!" Amy cried.  
  
"Then go to Robotnik's fortress and look for him! He's been kidnapped, you know!" Shadow added, blessing his luck and memory of the GameCube Sonic Adventure games.  
  
"Good idea!" Amy exclaimed, revealing her ridiculously large PikoPiko hammer and running in the direction of the black clouds.  
  
Shadow sighed in relief. Amy was gone! He had no worries at all!  
  
However, he was curious to see Robotnik's famous hideout, so he followed the ever-charging Amy. He was careful to stay out of sight, though, just in case.  
  
Compared to his usual running speed, Amy's running was practically crawling. Eventually, he had gotten so bored he guessed a general direction and headed for it.  
  
His gamble proved a success. There, ahead of him, was the impossibly huge Robotopia, home and workplace of Robotnik.  
  
Awe overtook him as he wandered forward, completely oblivious of the Bi- Dimensional Barrier ahead of him. And, once again, a shot in the dark hit its mark;  
  
He passed right through it. 


	35. Knuckles' secret

The morning brought more bad news.  
  
It all started with a phone ringing. The day before had been a fruitless day of searching for the ever-powerful Robotnik which eventually ended up in the finding of several brain-dead teens, none of whom carried the name 'Shaun' and resembled the princess's rescuer and the hero's friend. However, they did find something else; not only had Robotnik flown the coop, but Knuckles had been to earth before, and just happened to have connections.  
  
The phone continued to ring.  
  
"Knuckles, if that's one of your 'friends' then answer it!" Sonic mumbled from the floor.  
  
Wide awake and laughing to himself, Knuckles sat up, stretched, took his time, and eventually got to the phone.  
  
"Hol-ya," He answered.  
  
"Knu-kels, tecs ma." This seemed to be a language Knuckles knew, so it might as well be translated, starting with the last sentence.  
  
"Knuckles, it's me!"  
  
"Nice to hear from you, Stulom. What's the word?"  
  
"The doctor has a new home. Currently, it can be found in the abandoned power factory eight miles out of town. That would be 783 287 on your last planet."  
  
"Just where it was last time. Thanks. Anything else?"  
  
"There always is. A being transported himself to your last world, and has currently walked right through a Bi-Dimensional Barrier! It didn't even faze him! Is he the twin of the Starlight, by chance?"  
  
"That's all it was; Chance. He isn't the twin, but I've seen Starlight pull off the same trick before. He must be the Darklight, but I doubt it. He isn't strong enough."  
  
"You can never tell with evil! Good luck!"  
  
"Good luck."  
  
Knuckles hung up the phone. "Who was that and what the heck were you saying?" Sonic yawned as he followed Knuckles into the kitchen.  
  
"That was a friend of mine, just like you said, and we were using my home language," Knuckles replied, smiling to himself.  
  
"I thought you were the last of your kind?" Sonic mumbled, still too asleep to think.  
  
"He's just an ally, who's actually part of an alliance, and we used to be partners. His race was a great friend of my race, so, not only do we use the same language, but we also know how to use the Dimension System."  
  
Sonic just gave Knuckles the most annoyed look either of them had ever seen. "Let me guess; I don't wanna know, right?"  
  
"You could say that..." 


	36. The Poison of Joy

If Shadow had been amazed at the enormity of Robotropolis, then he was completely shocked at how accurate all the home videos he had were. Every detail, down to the last screw, seemed to be exactly the same! It was the same way in Knothole village!  
  
Shadow shook his head to clear it. What the heck was going on? How were his videos and comic books so close to reality? And, most importantly, where was the control room?  
  
Shadow snickered to himself as he raced along. The entire base seemed to be, even if unintentionally, built to his advantage! Race tracks and loops seemed to jump out at him as he ran the path, dodging Swatbots and mechanical monstrosities like they trudging through molasses. This was so easy!  
  
And so fun!  
  
Shadow could hear himself laughing in delight as the mechanical morons crashed into each other or shot each other to bits. However, an idea soon came to his mind...  
  
If you can't defeat an enemy, why not try with his own weapons?  
  
The course did not change, nor did the black hedgehog falter from it. The only change in the race was his intentions.  
  
Only seconds had passed and he was already at the control room door. It seemed to need a card key, but Shadow didn't think it was necessary.  
  
"Let's see just how much like Sonic I am!" he mumbled as he leapt, curled, and spun with all his might. To his delight he became a spinning spike ball, almost like a buzz saw, and cut through the door with ease. He landed perfectly on his feet, giggling to himself as he did so.  
  
He looked up to see Cluck, Robotnik's robo-chicken pet, look right back at him and screech. Apparently, the little robot was intending to hit the already diffused alarm, but Shadow stopped him before he could even move.  
  
"So this is Cluck, isn't it?" Shadow chuckled, poisoned with malicious mirth. "Too bad big ol' Robotnik's left ya, ain't it? Too bad he ain't comin' back, either!"  
  
"-cluck- -cluck- /Why not?\" its voice box whirred.  
  
"Because he's planning to destroy this place, that's why!" Shadow replied, still stifling the laughter within him. "He's hoping Sonic will think he's here and destroy this place with the hedgehog in it!"  
  
"-cluck- /Aren't you\ -cluck- /Sonic?\"  
  
"No," Shadow smiled, "I'm someone more dangerous than that blue amateur, and more than twice as smart as your 'Dr.' Robotnik!"  
  
Cluck squawked and hobbled to a corner, where Shadow let him cower in peace.  
  
"Usually, Sonic is a hero to his people, an idol to his kind!" Shadow began, advancing on the poor robot chicken while steadily raising his whisper to a loud call. "Robotnik is just the same, but to his 'people' respectively! I plan to change that, and apply that change to all who don't join me! That change is the eradication of their existence! That change, in a simple word, is—"  
  
Shadow dropped his voice to a poisonous whisper, with his face only inches from Cluck's.  
  
"...Death..."  
  
Cluck rattled with fear so violently his screws were beginning to shake loose, as well as the voice box's inability to remain stable came to light.  
  
"-clcluck- -cluckk- /Wwhhat do youyouyou needdd, Mamamaster?\"  
  
"All I need, Cluck, are a few, little instructions..." 


	37. Friends forever team together!

"Where are we headed again?"  
  
This wasn't the first time it was asked, but it was the first time Sonic had asked.  
  
"We're headed to an abandoned power plant outside of town," Knuckles replied, hanging tight as Tails continued to steer the brand-new Tornado Mach II. "Dr. Robotnik is holed up there, and, hopefully, we can catch him there. However, I do have one question..."  
  
"Shoot," Sonic answered.  
  
"Why is the Tornado built with only two seats?!" Knuckles yelled as he almost fell off at another sudden swerve.  
  
"That's because we usually only travel with two people!" Tails replied, gritting his teeth while concentrating at making another swerve.  
  
Sonic sighed. "Hey, Knuckles, we can switch seats. I need to be ready to drop off anyway!" he called. "Tails, slow down for a sec!"  
  
Tails obliged while ducking under his seat to make a few adjustments. Luckily, this move was not witnessed by Sonic and Knuckles as they did their best to switch places.  
  
Soon, they were all speeding away at the original pace. Knuckles had the back seat and Sonic held on to the tail wing, his feet planted on the right cross-tail wing. Sonic, noting the factory roof ahead, began sizing up his distance again.  
  
It was just like the race at school. Everything was in place.  
  
"Ready for deployment?" Tails called, making his own mental calculations.  
  
"Ready!" Sonic called back. "Make sure the Andersons' get that call, Knuckles! They might be worried if we're late getting home!"  
  
"Got 'cha!" Knuckles acknowledged, pulling out a cell phone and prepping the auto-dial.  
  
"Tails! One sweep by the chimney! Circle down, right hand! I'm gonna need a boost to get past the security!"  
  
"Roger!"  
  
Tails raced the Tornado Mach II by the tallest chimney, leaning himself with the plane while he twisted into a downward right hand spiral. Knuckles held out his hand, felt Sonic grab it, and pulled forward with all his might.  
  
Sonic flew downward, but at enough of an angle and twist that he landed safely and soundly, pounding his feet on solid ground.  
  
There was a vent shaft ahead of him. He was going too fast! He had to go through it!  
  
All Sonic remembered was wishing for his spines.  
  
CRASH!!  
  
Landing in a small, cramped and dark hallway, Sonic picked up a small, 6- mile range two-way radio he had recently bought. Clicking a black button on the side, he whispered into the speaker;  
  
"I'm in." 


	38. The Secrets in Shadow

It had been a long day of learning for him. This button does that, don't touch the green lever, that button does this... He needed to remember it all somehow.  
  
He was walking in a blind haze. Where was he? Why wasn't he home? Where was his sister...?  
  
He leaned heavily against a wall. His feet felt like lead, and his head felt lighter than a helium balloon.  
  
"Help me..." he whispered, "...help me..."  
  
Shadow fell to the floor, limp and weak. "Dulcinea...Mom called you that...didn't she..."  
  
Once again, Shadow succumbed to the darkness of his mind, completely helpless to the memories flooding his senses.  
  
The fire. It was there, as real as life. The one he had lost his parents in. Only his sister was left, half her face the price for her life. She used to be beautiful, tall, and graceful, but the fire robbed her of that. She had suddenly become ugly, horrible, and even acquired a limp in her left leg.  
  
Mother had survived only a few small hours after the fire. Mother had called Diane Dulcinea after the beautiful woman, even though she was only beautiful at heart, in the play Don Quixote.  
  
Shaun had called her that ever since.  
  
It was that limp that unofficially killed her one day. He was twelve, but his sister took care of him. She was eighteen at the time.  
  
There was a red light. It was green their way, so they began to cross. Shaun had just gotten his first skateboard, the one he continues to have today, that day. He was trying to show off how he could skate on it all the way home.  
  
He hadn't fallen yet, and his sister doubted he ever could. She teased him by saying he was born with wheels for feet, but they eventually turned into actual feet.  
  
Shaun knew she was teasing, but he played along.  
  
"Did not, sis! You know I was born with real feet!"  
  
"No, you were born with wheels! How else can you skate so well?"  
  
"Perfect balance?"  
  
Diane ruffled his hair, very slightly so he wouldn't fall, but they still didn't see the driver.  
  
It had been a bad day for that particular driver, who was too proud to wait for a ride home.  
  
Shadow remembered every detail of that day. The day he lost everything. The sky had been a perfect blue, and the clouds held a storybook-like fluffiness to them; even the day had been warm with a cool breeze flowing through. It was like a day painted by the deity of the sky just for them!  
  
But then there was the monster of metal, the screech, and then the cry.  
  
"Dulcinea!!" 


	39. Transformations

Sonic tensed himself, waiting for the pain to pass. It had started with his feet when he crashed through the ventilation shaft and the fan, but it slowly crawled through his entire body. The pain would come in a small flash, and then disappear.  
  
"Crud on high, that's getting annoying!" Sonic grunted through his teeth. He was actually getting tired of half-crawling through small passages as well.  
  
If he had his spines, he could get enough traction to just roll through!  
  
There was another pang of pain across his back this time. He was actually on the verge of swearing, to tell the truth.  
  
He finally decided to look at the most recent area of pain to discover the problem. Because he couldn't turn very well, he reached back with his hand, and grabbed...Spines! He had his spines back!  
  
Smiling to himself, he leapt forward into a roll, and continued to spin down the shaft.  
  
Tails landed the plane beautifully outside the back entrance to the plant. Knuckles, still a little unused to flying in a plane like the Tornado Mach II, teetered slightly as he landed from jumping off the plane.  
  
Tails climbed out, looking at Knuckles in the strangest way...  
  
"Knuckles? You're skin's kinda red..." he said, trailing off as he did so.  
  
"What?" Knuckles looked at his hands. Sure enough, not only was his skin turning red, but his knuckle gloves were starting to grow over his fingers and fuse.  
  
He quickly glanced at Tails, who began growing fur all over his face, as well as his tails slightly apparent from over his shoulder.  
  
"Tails, Robotnik apparently has the Bi-Dimensional Barrier device here. The use of it is causing this world border to become thin, so we're merging with our original selves," Knuckles explained.  
  
Tails wrestled with his overalls to poke a hole for his tails in the back. "Makes sense, actually," Tails grunted. "I mean, how am I supposed to hover without my tails?"  
  
Knuckles laughed to himself. Hitting the auto-dial with his thumb, mostly because he couldn't use his fingers anymore, he called the Anderson family.  
  
Of course, Sally answered.  
  
"Where are you guys?" she asked over the phone.  
  
"We're right outside the plant," Knuckles replied. "We don't expect to be back for a while. How's the family?"  
  
"Well, you know Cody. Other than that, they're—"  
  
Before Sally could finish, or even for Knuckles to blink, there was a crash, a scuffling noise, a scream, and then the line went dead.  
  
"Sally!" Knuckles cried. Pulling out the two-way radio, he quickly tried to phone Sonic.  
  
"Sonic, answer me! I think Robotnik has Sally!"  
  
It was a vain attempt; that line was dead too. 


	40. Shadow shows his power

Shadow woke up in a bed, which happened to be quite large, with Cluck by his side.  
  
"-cluck- /Sir?\ -cluck- -cluck- /You've changed!\" it clucked.  
  
Shadow looked over himself. His hands were back to being regular human hands, but a strange, thick black skin covered the back of them. Looking over the rest of his body, he found that his clothes were back, jacket and all, and that strange black skin was covering everything but his palms, fingers, and face. At least he still had his hedgehog spines!  
  
He looked at Cluck. The robot chicken had not changed.  
  
Why was he changing? He was in Sonic's world, fair and square, and he was officially in Robotropolis! Why was he changing back to his Earth self? He was on Mobius, for crying out loud!  
  
"Cluck, how long have I been like this?" he asked, still looking at his hands.  
  
"-cluck- /Two hours, sir!\ -cluck-" was the reply.  
  
"Bring the most disruptive Swatbot you can find; I need to trash something," Shadow mumbled.  
  
Cluck ran off, happy as ever that the poor robot getting trashed did not happen to be him.  
  
Shadow held his head in his hands. What was going on? Why was he changing?  
  
Cluck came back with two other beings; one was metallic, and the other was pink.  
  
"Not her again! Please, not her again!" Shadow prayed. This had not been a good day for him.  
  
"Let me go! Let me go! If I had my hammer, I'd...!" the pink-haired and similarly color dressed teenager called as she was dragged into the room.  
  
"/She was found wandering the halls\" the Swatbot explained in monotone.  
  
Shadow sighed. Amy was still Amy, human or not. She'd probably be blonde if she was on Earth.  
  
Actually, noting her hair, Shadow had no doubt of the assumption.  
  
She was dropped in the middle of the floor, with Cluck hiding behind the Swatbot that brought her. Shadow lifted himself from the bed and walked over to Amy, who was currently scowling.  
  
"Well, well..." Shadow mused, slipping back into his giddy self. "We seem to have found a trespasser!"  
  
"We?" Amy asked, looking highly suspicious. Probably a look she adopted from Sonic.  
  
"Me and everyone here. Have you noticed how much you've changed recently, Amy?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah. I look kinda like what Robotnik's supposed to be, but I'm definitely different..." she mumbled, looking at the floor instead of his face.  
  
With his face only inches from hers, Shadow replied, "You're about to change a lot more, Amy. In a shiny, metallic way..." 


	41. Sally has a bad day

Sonic finally found the vent he was looking for!  
  
Because he was tired of rolling around in cramped areas, he just took his fist and punched right through the vent gate. It fell to the floor beneath him, and, due to lack of noises or any other sound, Sonic guessed the room was empty.  
  
He guess was right. He landed in the middle of a large control room, fully operational and currently reading out some sort of document on the screen. Sonic, while pulling out the silent two-way radio, walked up to the document and started speed-reading.  
  
"Come in, Knuckles! I am in the control room," Sonic whispered.  
  
No reply. Not even the static of interference! Sonic continued to skim the document as he internally wondered what had happened to the radio.  
  
The document read distressing news. Sonic found that the document contained the Anderson's address, school, and even work hours for the mother! This information also included the appearance of Shadow, Sonic's original body in a coma, the kidnapping plans for Princess Sally, and the recapture of the princess! Sonic read in horror at the last part:  
  
Robotnik was trying to merge the worlds!  
  
Robotnik knew that Sonic couldn't use most of his abilities, especially the ones including his spines, on Earth. On Mobius, he didn't have the strength or the height of his Earth body. However, even while on Earth, even if the merge ended up in the best of both worlds, as it apparently had, the original body remained constant if the merge happened before the original "being" could return to his/her body. If this body was destroyed before the "being" could be merged as well, the "being" would cease to exist.  
  
In other words, if Sonic didn't get back to Mobius and his own body before Robotnik did, he was literally going to die!  
  
Sonic shook his head slightly to clear it. He had to contact Knuckles and get home!  
  
The screen suddenly started flashing. Curiosity gripped him as he watched the screen tick off a "to-do list" item;  
  
"/Recapture of Princess\ -click- /COMPLETE!\"  
  
"No..." Sonic whispered, this time to himself. He had worked so hard to make sure she was safe, and now she was captured again! If he ever got his hands on Robotnik, there was no telling what he would do!  
  
"How are you doing, Serin?"  
  
Sonic looked around frantically while searching for the origin of the voice. "You can't see me," the voice continued, "and you definitely can't find me fast enough. But you can try!"  
  
A blast door opened on one end of the room, quite nearby to Sonic's position. Through it, he heard one thing;  
  
Cody screaming.  
  
His feet never flew faster as he sped down the hallway, the metallic floor clanging in protest and bursting into flame as a reward.  
  
"This is low, Robotnik. Really, really low..." Sonic growled through his teeth. Doors were slamming shut behind him as he ran through, barely clipping him as he ran. Leaning lower, he ran even faster, and faster! He needed to reach the end of the hall.  
  
Even though he was running at top speed, he still wasn't able to break through the last obstacle. 


	42. Amy tries again

Amy watched in horror as the milliseconds stretched to show the scene before her. The Swatbot even malfunctioned from the intensity of the entire act.  
  
Shadow had been leading them down a hall when everything started to shift and twist into some other hallway, and continued to do this at random times throughout the entire trip. Then, without warning, a blue being, exactly identical to Shadow except for the cloths, appeared from nowhere down the hall and smashed into Shadow in barely seconds! Even though he had changed drastically, Amy would recognize the real Sonic anywhere.  
  
"Sonic!!" she screamed, breaking away from the malfunctioned robot and running to his side. He wasn't completely unconscious, but he was slightly delusional.  
  
"Sally?" he whispered, blinking his eyes through a tear buildup and an obvious haze.  
  
Amy decided to get mischievous. "Yes!" she replied, helping him to his feet. He was leaning on her heavily. "Are you alright?"  
  
"You don't sound like Sally..." he mumbled.  
  
"I asked, 'Are you alright?'!" she replied.  
  
"I'm fine! I'm fine. I'm just...a little dizzy..." he answered.  
  
Amy leaned him against a wall and picked up her PikoPiko hammer from the Swatbot. "Would a kiss help?" she asked, hiding the hammer.  
  
However, Sonic had other ideas. "What did I first tell you when I found my 100th Ring?" he asked.  
  
Amy frantically searched her memory for an answer. It wasn't too long ago, but all he had told her at the time was "Buzz off!"  
  
"I don't exactly remember..." she mumbled, sounding as guilty and cute as she could. Amy hoped as best she could that she could bluff her way out of this.  
  
"Trust me, you would, Amy, if you were Sally at the time. And, Sally wouldn't ask if a kiss would help; she'd know!"  
  
Amy snapped her fingers in frustration as Sonic started to limp off. "Just think, I thought I had finally gotten away from you for once!"  
  
"Oh, Sonic, you don't mean that!" she cried, feeling deeply hurt.  
  
"Whatever. We have to find Sally!" he replied, somehow missing the unconscious Shadow on the floor.  
  
Amy just gave Shadow one last glance, mostly of pity, before she followed. "How are we going to find her?" she asked, always willing to help.  
  
"Follow the hallway, I guess. However, I can barely see, so I'm going to need you to help me," Sonic replied.  
  
"Anything!" she cried.  
  
"Can you stop asking me to marry you?" he asked.  
  
"Sonic! Be serious!"  
  
"Alright! Alright! Just hold my hand and tell me if I'm about to run into something or whatever!"  
  
"Deal!" 


	43. Knuckles solves some unanswered question...

Tails, whipping his tails furiously in a circle, slowly drifted back down to the floor.  
  
"It seems there are quite a few punctured holes in the ventilation system. I'd say it was Sonic, but if it was spines, they are a little large and deep for his size."  
  
"Unless he's currently half Terran, like we are," Knuckles added.  
  
"So, we're automatically taller if we're Terran?" Tails asked.  
  
"Of course. The average height on Earth, counting by the Earth measurements of feet and inches, was around five feet and six inches. On Mobius, while using the same measurements, we are only three feet tall and four inches for the average. While combined, we might be slightly smaller, but we still maintain near the average height of the planet we happen to be occupying. On the other hand, if we were in the exact same place on Mobius, we'd be more Mobian than Terran," Knuckles explained.  
  
"If we're on Earth, why are the people called Terrans?" Tails asked.  
  
"Because the Greek, or Roman, I can't remember, name for Earth is Tera. Therefore, an Earth person is a Terran, because it's also nicer to say than Earthling."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Tails watched as Knuckles punched in a security code, almost literally, and watched the door slowly slide open. If front of them was a long hall, but the hall was actually twisted to the point of being upside-down and back again as it stretched along.  
  
Knuckles whistled. "Wow," he whispered. "I wonder if gravity is having the same problem here."  
  
"I wouldn't doubt it..." Tails mused, thinking how fun it would be to fly downward and be going upward!  
  
Knuckles shrugged. "We have to find Sonic and Sally anyway, so, let's go!"  
  
Both of them traveled down the hallway, marveling at the passing windows which sometimes showed scenes from right outside Robotropolis to scenes just outside the power plant. Sometimes, it was a strange mix of both worlds, while other times, it just revealed nothing at all.  
  
Tails shivered as he walked along. "I don't like this..." he mumbled, walking closer to Knuckles after seeing the scene of nothing again.  
  
Knuckles cursed himself for forgetting how young Tails was. Tails always acted so much older than his age, that it just seemed reasonable to think he wouldn't get scared. Instead, Knuckles said, "You can ride on my back if you want."  
  
Tails never had a back ride before. His hero, Sonic, had spines on his back.  
  
"Uh...Sure, I guess..."  
  
Knuckles leaned down to allow Tails to jump onto his back. Tails did, and held on with all his might.  
  
"Whoa! Geez! Tails! I gotta breathe!" Knuckles gagged.  
  
"Sorry," Tails blushed as he loosened his hold on Knuckles' neck.  
  
After that, the walk was more peaceful. Every time Tails got scared, he just leaned his head against Knuckles' back and listened to the powerful rhythm of Knuckles' heartbeat. It held obvious strength, but it was calm and steady, and would help Tails calm down. If Knuckles wasn't scared, then Tails didn't need to be either.  
  
But the heartbeat eventually quickened, to a faster, more frightened pace. Tails, slightly confused and a little scared, asked, "Knuckles, what's wrong?"  
  
Knuckles didn't have to answer; there was nothing but black void ahead of them. 


	44. Robotnik and some batty problems

Robotnik rubbed his hands together in delight as he watched his victims squirm. Each and every one of them were incased in a solitary glass-alloy tube, allowing light in but nothing out. Even the little baby, Carl, could be seen all alone, crying piteously, but emitting no sound at all.  
  
Turning back to a monitor, he watched Sonic drag along a passenger, most likely Amy from her pink hair and dress, as he narrowly missed turns and obstacles along his path. Because he was curious, he started checking the constant speed of the hedgehog teenager, noting that it was slightly, but only slightly, below average.  
  
"He must not be able to see very well," Robotnik smiled to himself. "It's a pity I had to loose track of Shadow after that call. His body may be in his apartment, but he definitely isn't..."  
  
He looked behind him at the four containment tubes he set up. Princess Sally, Mrs. Debora Anderson, Carl Anderson, and Cody Anderson, were all sitting there, fidgeting, crying, or, in the princess's case, sleeping.  
  
Robotnik shook his head. They were a pathetic bunch, but, if they were what Sonic cared for, they'd have to do.  
  
She had done missions before, but this was ridiculous!  
  
Codename Bat hung upside-down from the ceiling, watching the doctor type in combinations of letters and numbers and quickly wrote them down in shorthand. So Sonic was here, eh? And Shadow? Was it the one she had heard about or a rebel teenager with an identity crisis? Either one could be likely.  
  
Slowly, she lowered herself to the floor. She had played both sides before. Why not now?  
  
"Hiya!" she giggled, tilting her head to the side while putting one foot behind the other. As the doctor turned, she waved.  
  
"Who do you think you are, and why are you here?!" the doctor demanded.  
  
"Oh silly!" Bat giggled. "I'm Rouge, and I'm a spy currently hard for work. Need a hand?"  
  
Robotnik eyed her suspiciously. There was something about the name Rouge that started screaming at him, but he couldn't remember what!  
  
"Well, Rouge, is there anything you're especially good at?" he asked.  
  
"Infiltration and elimination, especially with an accident scene as a trademark," she explained.  
  
"Perfect! I want you to eliminate a blue-haired teen running through here. He's dragging along a pink-haired teenager as well."  
  
"Name?" Rouge asked.  
  
"Serin, but his nickname is Sonic. And I want him eliminated so get going!"  
  
"Reason?"  
  
"Why is this important?"  
  
Rouge giggled. "It just has something to do about how the victim dies, is all."  
  
"He's messed up my plans more than once! Now GET GOING!!"  
  
"Alright! I'm go—"  
  
The door burst open, revealing a blue-haired teen, a pink-haired teen, and a positive draft of revenge behind them. 


	45. The End?

Sonic had just regained his sight when he crashed through the door. Anger starting to boil in him as soon as he saw the captured people held captive. This was the time he wasn't going to let Robotnik get away!  
  
Amy gasped at the sudden stop and scene before her. She wasn't going to be afraid! She was going to fight alongside her hero! Nothing was going to stop her!  
  
Princess Sally couldn't believe her eyes! Sonic had actually broken his usual record of three minutes! And she was getting out of here! As soon as she got her hands on Robotnik...!  
  
In his own namesake, Shadow watched with intensifying rage. Robotnik, Sonic, and Sally all in one room! He could get all he wanted in one blow! Slowly, he slipped into his giddy insane self, snickering madly as he slowly slinked into the room. Slowly, ever so slowly...  
  
Rouge stared in disbelief at what she was seeing. This blue-haired teen was faster than she thought! She needed to hide, and now! She quickly ran into a nearby shadow, hoping to conceal herself in the nearby darkness. Rouge shoved her hands into the wall and slowly started to climb. She needed to get out of there!  
  
Giddy glee overtook Robotnik as everything started falling into place. He just needed to get Amy out of the way and then everything would be in place! He quickly started typing at the computer, hoping his actions would not be noticed while Sonic and his friends were occupied with each other.  
  
Back to the hallway, Knuckles stared in disbelief. This was the actual origin point of the merging worlds! In this area was the Bi-Dimensional Barrier device, and he could get to it! However, if he missed, he would be hurtled into oblivion, forever, in perpetual limbo. That, obviously, wouldn't be good!  
  
However, the little guy on his back had other ideas. Tails saw the small device hanging in space, and, leaping from Knuckles' back, used his tails to propel him along the way and keep on course. All he needed was a few more inches!  
  
It was like a dream come true, with a little bit of Nightmare spice to add more flavor! Cody, trapped like a victim, was about to be saved by his hero, Sonic the Hedgehog! However, he had to admit that Sonic did look more hedgehog-ish lately, but that didn't matter. Maybe he could finally remember to get an autograph after this!  
  
Mrs. Anderson watched the doctor in horror as he punched in codes. Why wasn't Sonic noticing him? Didn't he know there was going to be a lot of trouble, especially concerning the safety of her sons, if he didn't apprehend the doctor now?!  
  
Sonic ordered Amy to use her PikoPiko hammer on the glass to see if it would bend or break. He had to get Sally out!  
  
Of course, Amy obliged. Nothing happened to the glass, but a gagging sound was heard behind them.  
  
Turning to look, Sonic was suddenly being held by energy-like bonds, not only making him hover a few feet above the ground but also keeping him from moving his hands or feet in any direction. Robotnik began to speak.  
  
"So, Sonic, how about we make a little trade? You for your friends' freedom, and I'll even throw in Amy!"  
  
Through a cry of protests all around, Sonic agreed.  
  
There was an explosion, a large shudder, and a sickening crack with the sound of screaming accompanying it in harmony. Knuckles and Tails suddenly appeared as Robotnik ran off, finding their friends free of the tubing, and Sonic barely limp on the floor.  
  
All they knew of what happened was what Sonic was sobbing;  
  
"My legs! He broke my legs!!" 


	46. From the Depths of the Shadows come Ligh...

Shadow listened to the cry of his former hero as the walls started crumbling with the ground shaking. It was so gratifying to realize Robotnik had finally done something right!  
  
But then there was Sally. She was crying out for help, as well as the Anderson family. They didn't deserve his revenge! They deserved a life better than his!  
  
However, to save them, he had to save the abomination as well. His more calm, reserved self came forward to except the task, and he was off.  
  
"Knuckles! Get some splints for his legs!" Shadow called, running into the room. "Tails! I'm gonna need some type of rope!"  
  
Both acknowledged the request and set about their tasks, looking frantically around in the falling rubble. Shadow raced to the tubes, only to see them open, but failed to see a certain spy sneak off after punching in a few codes.  
  
Shadow quickly rounded up the freed captives and sent them down the hall. The passages were no longer twisting and warping, so it would be much easier to get everyone out.  
  
Knuckles and Tails returned with the supplies. Sonic, apparently passed out from the trauma of the incident, did not notice that his former friend, now enemy, was splinting his legs into place to avoid further damage to them.  
  
Soon the race was on. Everyone was speeding down the halls as quickly as possible, Cody and Carl sobbing in fear about the falling debris. It wasn't a matter of rivalry anymore; it was now a race for survival.  
  
Daylight flooded the room before them. They were almost out! Almost to freedom!  
  
Mechanical whirring was heard as a large robot, just big enough to block the entire wall with the door, stepped in the way. Knuckles, carrying Sonic, could do nothing, and Tails, considering his height and strength, would be useless. Sally didn't have anything to fight with and Amy wasn't fast enough!  
  
Shadow tensed himself for a speed burst. He was going to need it.  
  
He knew that he was completely human now, especially since the Bi- Dimensional Barrier device had been knocked out. All he needed was a little speed, and he could probably do anything he needed too, including knocking out a large chunky robot!  
  
He leapt into the air and twisted, just barely missing the large fist hurled at him. Landing perfectly on the back of its head, he punched it as fast as he could. Faster, faster he pummeled it, and eventually broke through to the large wires and circuitry beneath.  
  
The robot had begun stumbling around, trying to grab Shadow and attack the others at the same time. This was a failed attempt, and, seeing the door now completely unblocked, Shadow yelled, "Get out of here!"  
  
He shoved his hands into the circuitry and pulled with all his might.  
  
They definitely didn't need to be told twice. Knuckles and Tails herded everyone out of the crumbling plant, calling instructions and directions when necessary. Sally didn't want to do it, but she had to leave Shadow behind.  
  
As soon as everyone was in broad daylight, the power plant exploded behind them. Sally whirled around to see the debris and chunks of stone flying through the air, hoping to see a black-clad teenager emerging, but she saw nothing.  
  
As far as they knew, Shadow was dead. 


	47. Yet another, more annoying Sonic Fan

They both woke up at the same time, though neither one of them knew it. They also woke up in places that surprised them, although one woke up in a strange place and another woke up in familiarity.  
  
Sonic sat up, gasping for breath and in a cold sweat as he sat there. The room was warm, and all white. It reminded him of his first day on earth. He had a concussion, or something like that, and they sent him to...a...  
  
"I'm in a hospital?" Sonic whispered, wiping his face from the sweat and looking around. It had the same windows, beds, and paintings he remembered. They must have put him in the same room as well as the same hospital.  
  
But why? All that happened was he had a horrible dream where Robotnik crippled him. It was all a dream, right? All a dream!  
  
Sonic fell backwards onto his pillow. Why was he in a hospital? Nothing made sense!  
  
A nurse walked in, holding a clipboard and some cards, still unopened. "Why, hello Serin! I heard you had a nasty accident. Want to talk about it?" she asked.  
  
"Why am I here?" Sonic replied.  
  
"You broke both your legs. Actually, from what it says here, it was at an angle, so you're very lucky it didn't it your chest. You'd be dead right now if that was the case."  
  
"Lucky me..." Sonic grumbled. So, instead of being completely dead, he was completely useless. What a tradeoff!  
  
"By the way, I have some cards for you. You were out for a couple days, so I had to hold them from yesterday," the nurse explained.  
  
She handed the cards to Sonic, who, after taking them, ripped off the seals to read them.  
  
Each one was from a group of people. One was from Cody's class, one was from the principal and staff, another was from the Anderson family, and the last one was from his closest friends.  
  
Each one said "Get well soon!", but, for Sonic to do that, he had to heal faster that ever possible. That, as is well known, is completely impossible!  
  
"I heard you used to run really fast once. I also heard it was something like Sonic the Hedgehog. I love his games! Used to play them all the time. Then my brother went to collage and took them with him. I miss those games..."  
  
Sonic shifted in his bed slightly, noticing how much like Amy was the blabbing of this nurse.  
  
"I remember times when I'd try to sneak in a few levels before school. I got so good at the first levels, that it almost seemed impossible for me to loose any rings. Then I'd get to the later levels after school and loose every ring, life and continue I had. It used to drive my parents crazy. 'Sonic Fever', they called it..."  
  
There had to be some way to get out of here! Sonic frantically searched his mind for the answer, knowing there had to be one somewhere!  
  
"My brother even used to joke that he was sick with 'Sonic Fever' too, and he had to stay home. Especially if mom was shelling pea pods. He loved pea pods for dinner..."  
  
"That's it!"  
  
The nurse jumped at Sonic's sudden reaction. Basically, all that happened was Sonic remembered that, before Robotnik's creations were all robotic, he had a Rejuvenation Pod Room to heal the damages Sonic did. If Sonic could get back to Mobius, and inside Robotropolis, then he could use it to get his legs back!  
  
Now, the only problem was getting there... 


	48. The Second Side of the Coin

Shadow woke up in his bedroom, unknowingly at the same time Sonic woke up in the hospital. He realized he was currently face down on his bed, and was currently breathing softly, as if he had fallen asleep.  
  
But how? Didn't he die back in the power plant? The explosion should have killed him! He could be in the afterlife with his sister right now!  
  
Shadow shoved his hands on the bed to boost him up to a sitting position, and looked around the room. It was all there, exactly as he left it before. Nothing was amiss or moved.  
  
He then noticed how still and quiet it was. He had been living with another being for awhile, so he had gotten used to the noises of her moving around the house. And now, everything was still.  
  
He slid off the bed and stumbled to the living room. Why were his legs so weak? Was it because he had actually done all that in the power plant? No, it had to be a dream: He was still in his apartment after all.  
  
He eventually flopped on the couch and picked up the remote control. He could really do with a coke right about now.  
  
The television clicked on in response to him pressing a button on the remote. On the screen was a very interesting story.  
  
"Hello! This is David Thatcher with today's top story! Three teenagers, a nine-year-old and a small family were recently trapped in a collapsing power plant, but somehow managed to escape! The criminal is not yet caught, but here is the family involved!"  
  
The screen panned to the right, where Cody, Carl and Mrs. Anderson were waiting. Mrs. Anderson was standing there, with Cody to her right, Shadow's left, and was holding Carl on the opposite side. The reporter then held out the microphone after finishing his question; "Starting with the little guy. What was it like being a prisoner?"  
  
"It was awesome! Sonic came in, and then Robotnik nabbed him, and then there was an explosion, and Sonic got hurt, and then Knuckles and Tails got us all out, and the black guy took down a huge robot! We don't know if he's still there, though..."  
  
The reporter switched to the mom. "Mrs. Anderson, I understand your son plays lots of video games?"  
  
"Yes, he does, and those are also the nicknames of a couple of our friends. The blonde there is Tails because he has a model of the Tornado at home, and that one is Knuckles because he's really strong. The taller blonde is Amy and the other girl is Sally, because those are their real names," Mrs. Anderson explained. "Sonic has that nickname because Cody thinks he's really cool—"  
  
"But he is cool, mom!"  
  
"—and he can run really fast," she finished.  
  
"I see. So why is the bad guy Robotnik?"  
  
"Cody thinks it's logical to apply the bad guy of his favorite game to the bad guy who kidnapped us. He was overly large, anyway, with an orange mustache and red nose."  
  
"I see. Now, on to the teenagers!"  
  
Shadow clicked off the television. So it was all real. However, if his dream was real, so was what happened...  
  
He had to find Sonic! 


	49. Another Part of the Mystery

Rouge could not believe her dumb luck! Not only did she locate the teens the agency is after, she got to see them in action! Now, if only her luck would last!  
  
She finally got home, flopped on her couch and clicked on the television with the remote. Ever since she had traveled to this alternate Earth, looking for work, everything started going crazy!  
  
She sighed as she watched the screen. The only one who knew she was there wasn't even being interviewed.  
  
Knuckles was currently being interviewed on screen. The reporter, apparently someone named David Thatcher, was seemingly trying to get the obvious hidden truth to come to light. Unfortunately, Knuckles was too good for that.  
  
"So, Knuckles, I presume?"  
  
"There's no need for the fancy words, sir. However, if you want to call me Knuckles instead of Kevin, that's up to you."  
  
"Alrighty. Knuckles, what do you remember from yesterday?"  
  
"I remember my friend getting caught by the bad guy when we all tried to get the Andersons out of there, and I also saw the thing that smashed his legs, but, apparently the explosion we also heard pulled it off course in the first place, so the actual target was my friend's chest, which would have killed him. I happened to look at the medical records when I got to the hospital."  
  
"Really? And how is your friend doing?"  
  
"Serin's doing fine, but he's currently unconscious, for all I know."  
  
Before Thatcher could begin another question, Knuckles' cell phone rang. Holding it up to his ear, he said, "Yo?" and eventually answered, "Alright. I'll be right there." He then looked to Thatcher, and said, "Apparently, my friend just woke up and asked to see me. That was the doctor on the phone. I'll be there if you need me."  
  
"I see. Well, you better hurry off!" Knuckles nodded and then followed Thatcher's instructions. "Anyway, on to Sally!"  
  
Rouge clicked off the television. It has been so long since she saw Knuckles! She silently giggled to herself while wondering if he's still the same treasure hunter she knew.  
  
Other than that, she needed to visit this "Serin" Knuckles mentioned. The agency would be really interested in the other one.  
  
Her cell phone rang. Answering it, she said, "Hello. Rouge here. How may I help you?"  
  
"It's your boss. Did you see the recent news report?"  
  
"Saw it. Heard it. Anything else?"  
  
Rouge started looking at her Amethyst purple nail polish as she listened to the answer. "According to the record tapes we were able to retrieve, it looks like Shaun 'Shadow' Dekkona is amazingly similar to the Serin mentioned in the news report. He's currently in the Main Street Hospital down your street. Visit him, and get him if you can!"  
  
"Gotcha. Anything else?"  
  
"Yes. Don't get caught, and get there before Kevin does!"  
  
"Yessir!" she said, silently saluting to herself while giggling. Hanging up the phone, she leapt of the couch, and walked over to the door of her house. She's going to visit an old friend of hers... 


	50. Fifty episodes! Yahoo!

Welcome readers! This is writer228, writing the 50th episode of Sonic/Serin 5'8" (yes, that's the actual title, but the fanfiction.net people are being @$&%@$ about it, so I changed it to something that sounds better.) a.k.a. Battleground Earth. Anyway, I decided to do something special this time; an interview of all the current characters! So, first off, Sonic, a.k.a. Serin. How's the story so far? "Not bad, actually. The only parts I'm having problems with are the parts where I'm away from home, kicked in the face by a wannabe fan of mine, and gotten my legs broken. Other than that, I'm cool!" I can understand why you don't like those parts, but are there any parts of the entire story you actually like instead of dislike? "Yeah. Cody, Carl, Tails, Sally, Knuckles, and Mrs. Anderson's breakfasts." Right. Next up! Sally, how do you feel about the entire story so far? "Naturally, I'm good about it. However, I was really scared when I was with Shaun. There were times when I felt like he was going to, um...you know when I was sleeping or something, but he was overall really nice and open-minded while I was there. I completely don't like his sudden change to evilness, though, and am happy he's coming back to our side." Awesome! A fan within a fanfic! (Sally looks at the author with an annoyed look.) Sorry. "Forgiven." Now to Tails! How's the story for you, little guy? "May I ask you to refrain from the 'little guy' comment?" Only you could say it like that, but sure. Anyway, how's the story? "Not too bad, actually. I really like how I'm actually an active part of the story, where, in some stories, I'm hardly in there or a completely different story altogether. Other than that, I really like playing with Cody and working on the Tornado Mach II with him. He's an active learner and about my own age, too!" Okay, okay! Just don't go flying out of your seat! Now to Knuckles! Any comments? "Sure. The story, in a generic term, is well rounded with characters and peppered with the constant excitement and the common cliffhanger that seems to become your trademark." Sorry about that. Habit, I guess. "Stop blushing! It's why I'm still interested in the story in the first place! Also, I like the mystery you have me currently in with the Darklight and Starlight, who are, in my opinion, quite obvious in identity." My little sister didn't get it. "Than she's stupid." No dissin' the sis! As a punishment, I'm off to Amy. So, Miss Rose, what was your favorite part of the story? "My favorite part was when I got to hold Sonic's hand! It was so romantic!" (Sonic interrupted from across the room.) "That was a life-and-death situation, Amy! One I was hoping to avoid in conversation!" "Oh, Sonic! Stop being mean!" (Then she turned back to me.) "I heard that sometimes people are mean to you if they care about you. Maybe that's what Sonic's doing..." (Back to Sonic from across the room.) "I'm only mean because I fear for my life! I wouldn't even marry you if you were the last girl on Earth OR Mobius!" "Then who would you marry?" "A tree!" Anyway, as Sonic continues to pout and Amy runs off to the bathroom crying, I'll talk to Cody. So, Cody, how do you like the story so far? "It's so awesome to actually meet my favorite heroes and friends and actually see them fighting and running" Cody "and kicking Robotnik's butt and destroying robots and power plants" Cody! "and becoming spike balls and life-savers and heroes and—" CODY! "What?" Thank you for that wonderful explanation. Mrs. Anderson, do you have anything to add? "Mainly the fact that I'm a little nervous about being the central family in the middle of an action story. However, the overall concept is pretty amazing!" Woman of few words, and so easy to spell! Sorry; author slip there. Speaking of Robotnik, (by the way, Carl gave me a cute little smile and waved, which I returned) why don't we ask him how he likes the story? "I don't win often enough! Actually, I would prefer it if my robot didn't miss and that little—" You know, that's great, but we have other people to interview. Such as Mr. Snively! How are you doing? "Just fine being ignored." ... Okay then... On to Shau— "Shadow." Shadow, then. How do you like the story? "Well, actually going mad for the first time in my life was interesting, but I really do feel torn between the sides. Am I a good guy? Or a bad guy? I'm not really sure where I belong, either." Trust me, it'll all work out. Now, to the last character! Rouge, how do you like your sudden appearance? "Well, I'd like a few more gems, if you know what I mean!" (She giggled.) "Oh, and, by the way, are you going to add any of, well, those scenes we talked about?" Yeah, yeah. A promise is a promise. (Wink.) "Thank you." (A wink back.) (Unfortuneately...) "Hey, I read that." Sorry! Anyway, just as a treat, I'm going to add a little blurb from our favorite kindergarten teacher, Ms. Rayne! What do you like about the story so far? "Frankly, it's nice, but I'd rather get back to my class!" 'Nuff said! And now, on to #51! 


	51. The Nurse needs a Nurse

Rouge was the first one to the hospital, but quickly found it difficult to see the young man she was supposed to interview.  
  
"So you're saying I can't see him right now?"  
  
The nurse at the welcome desk rolled her eyes. "That's what I've said twenty times already! I know you have urgent business with the young man but you can't see him quite yet!"  
  
Rouge nodded. "So I can't see him right now?"  
  
The nurse slammed her head against the top of the desk and started to sob. Rouge, taking advantage of the situation, leaned over the front barrier of the desk and typed a few letters into the computer, apparently getting the results she wanted. She backed out of the current program, turned away and said, "Alright! I know when I'm not wanted. I'll be seeing you later."  
  
Giggling to herself, she silently ducked into the elevator while the nurse continued to sob. This was getting too easy!  
  
She sighed. She really missed life on Mobius. Oh well; that was behind her now. Earth was chock-full of gems, ripe for the taking!  
  
Plus, no one knew her here. Well, at least, no one did, anyway. Now that Sonic and his friends were here somebody knew about her.  
  
Just as the elevator music was starting to kill her, the elevator doors opened to a high floor. She tried to get out, but a young man in a black hooded sweatshirt with dark glasses and a Sonic cap almost knocked her over as he pushed through. Not thinking twice about the teen, she silently mumbled, "Jerk," to herself and continued.  
  
However, she did notice that he seemed to have trouble walking. He was probably taking a walk to exercise his injured legs and was returning to some hospital room where he was recovering from some leg injury.  
  
Speaking of that, she had work to do.  
  
It was all she could do to keep from dashing down the hall at her target, but she was somehow able to keep calm and cool as she walked. She did notice, however, that the strange teen from the elevator was ahead of her at almost every turn, but sometimes she swore it could have been someone else.  
  
It didn't really matter, anyway. She had a target and someone to work for, and that was fine. She turned down a hall, and, seeing a door close, it attracted her attention. Walking towards the door, especially since it was down the hallway she needed to visit anyway, her cell phone rang.  
  
"Rouge here. How's it hangin'?"  
  
Ever since she first heard that phrase she loved the irony of it.  
  
"This is Dr. Robotnik! You're still under contract, remember?"  
  
"Sure, hon. So, what do you want your servant to do?"  
  
"You have a natural talent for words! I want you to go to the hospital Sonic is currently staying at, and eliminate him! I don't want any chances of him recovering!"  
  
"Sure thing! I—"  
  
Rouge stopped dead in her tracks as she noticed the room where the door had closed was, not only the one that she needed to visit, but completely Sonic or Serin-less.  
  
It was mentioned that she was the first one there, but it didn't mention who was the faster. 


	52. Allies or Foes?

"So, why are you 'saving' me in the first place?" Sonic asked, holding on for dear life to Shadow's back.  
  
"Simple. I noticed some girl heading here, and I remember seeing her with Robotnik in the power plant. It was just a glance, but they were talking all the same. Other than that, now that I've recovered from being mad—"  
  
"Which isn't very comforting for the passenger here."  
  
"Now that I've recovered from being mad, I wanna make ends meet again. Besides, I do owe you that rematch in Mortal Combat, and I can't really uphold that promise if I can't think straight."  
  
Sonic just leaned his head on Shadow's back, listening to the muffled heartbeat beneath. Dangling from the side of a building with nothing to support him but a young man who has recently tried to kill him and destroy his life did not seem very comforting in the first place! However, the heartbeat was steady and strong, and Shadow did not seem to need any help other than the curtain currently holding them. However, Sonic would have appreciated the rescue a little more if he didn't need to worry about Shadow only holding on to the curtain with one hand; Shadow was currently trying to call someone, but Sonic could not guess for the life of him who.  
  
"Hello? Knuckles? Can I get a ride here?" Shadow asked into his phone. Sonic had to admit that he was very surprised that Shadow was not only calling someone who swore revenge against the guy, but would not hesitate to carry out his promise.  
  
There was a slight pause. "I know about that. And I'm willing to pay any price you have for me."  
  
"You do know you're going to die..." Sonic mumbled.  
  
"Yeah, I know. Huh? Oh, yeah. We'll be easy to find," Shadow replied, to both Sonic and his phone.  
  
Above them a rustling noise was heard. Shadow, after ending his call with a "You wanna see your friend or not?!" line, swung on the curtain to an open window, where he grabbed the window ledge and painfully pulled himself up. They disappeared just in time to hide from the person upstairs, which became known quite well after the explicative was used in the vicinity of the original window.  
  
"Please tell me what this is about!" Sonic whined as Shadow rested him on the nearby empty bed.  
  
"Well, it's very simple. You are apparently connected to me—"  
  
"Duh."  
  
"—and I would like some information. Especially any concerning why I limp instead of run now!"  
  
"Hey, I have no idea!" Sonic shot back. "I'm stuck on a weird planet in a strange body with no ability to run anymore! And, for all I know, my friends could be dead, no thanks to you!"  
  
"You think you've had it tough!" Shadow almost yelled. "I've already lost a mother, father, and a sister thanks to my stupidity, and I don't need anything tacked on from you! Your friends are fine!"  
  
Sonic and Shadow glared at each other with rage building in their eyes. No longer allies but rivals once more, it seemed as if they were slipping into a type of pattern of position. However, Sonic realized, even if subconsciously, that he would need Shadow sooner or later, and he definitely did owe Shadow a rematch in Mortal Combat.  
  
"Shadow, I'm not your enemy..."  
  
"Nor are you mine. Let's get out of here." 


	53. Hard Spikes, Soft Hearts

Shadow walked over to the window and looked out, hoping against all hope that the figure upstairs didn't hear the argument between the friends below. Where was the Tornado Mach II? Shouldn't it be here by now?  
  
"Hey Sonic," Shadow asked, hoping to pass the time. "Any favorite childhood memories?"  
  
Sonic laughed to himself at the very thoughts. "I remember...one time I was playing a joke on Antoine in Knothole Village. I know I wasn't a kid at the time, but it's still really funny. Anyway, I snuck into his room one night and let loose a spider collection I had been gathering for a while. Then I ran straight to my room to wait for the results."  
  
"So?" Shadow asked, getting very impatient.  
  
"Well, these were special spiders. They were famous for making three feet wide webs in just hours. These little guys had about eight whole hours to get working!"  
  
"And?" Shadow was starting to get interested.  
  
"Around seven o'clock, I was up bright and early and ready to go, which is really unusual for me. I usually try to sleep in. Anyway, I was hanging around Antoine's room, unfortunately without a straight face, so Sally got the drift that something was wrong."  
  
Sonic paused for dramatic effect, much to the annoyance of Shadow.  
  
"When she tried to ask, she was very rudely interrupted...I'll just say that Antoine is arachnophobic." Sonic giggled.  
  
Shadow couldn't help but laugh to himself. He could just imagine the fox screaming his head off at the sight of all those spider webs clinging to his ceilings and walls.  
  
"Now that I've revealed my past, how about a little of yours?"  
  
Shadow just stared at Sonic. He couldn't talk about his past! He might start crying!  
  
"How about later..."  
  
"Nope. Now. I promise I won't tell another soul. Maybe I can help too; you said you lost some important people because you were stupid. If I hadn't taken that bogus order I'd still have at least my uncle and dog!"  
  
Shadow sighed. There was no way around this...  
  
So he began to tell his past, choking every now and then from the pain of it all. Sonic found himself speechless while listening, almost as if the story of Shadow's past wanted to be heard so badly it wouldn't let Sonic speak.  
  
By the end of the tale, Shadow was sobbing, sitting on the bed next to Sonic. Sonic sat up the best he could and placed a hand on Shadow's shoulder, whispering, "Hey, we're friends now, remember? It's all going to be okay..."  
  
Shadow tried to respond, but Sonic wouldn't let him. "You know about your mistakes, and your past, better than I ever could. You know your abilities and talents, gifts as well as curses, and even I have faults I could live without. Just do me one favor, okay?"  
  
Shadow breathed a shuddering breath as he tried to reply. "What?"  
  
"Please try not to kill yourself this time."  
  
Shadow smiled. "Sure." 


	54. Rouge has a NotSoBad Day

Rouge felt like hurting someone very badly as she left the hospital that day. Her target got up and disappeared, despite the guy's disadvantage, and she had gotten there only fractions of a second too late!  
  
Now, if only there was someone to maim on her way out...  
  
Down in the hospital lobby she continued to fume, but took at least a little joy in the fact that the nurse she had annoyed earlier was still sobbing at her desk. However, several nurses and a few patrons had gathered to try to comfort the poor nurse or replace her.  
  
Still breathing heavily, she continued her walk to the door.  
  
However, luck was with her anyway. She finally found the person she wanted to maim!  
  
Just outside, a young man walked up to her and said in a sly, smooth tone, "Hey, doll, doin' anything tonight?"  
  
Whack!  
  
The young man collapsed to the floor, missing at least four more teeth then his original set, thanks to a high kick to his face from the supposed "doll".  
  
"I might as well take some pride in this..." Rouge mumbled to herself, "at least that proves, once again, that I'm beautiful!"  
  
The smile was small and diabolical, but it was a smile nonetheless.  
  
She then turned around just to smack into another young man, strangely familiar with red hair and a powerful build.  
  
"Sorry," he said, making sure she could stand by helping her balance on her feet. He had gently grabbed her shoulders to do so. "I was in a hurry; I didn't think you would move."  
  
There was something in the gleam of his eyes. It was a kind of mysterious power, and yet a kind and gentle personality as well.  
  
The big tip-off was the spikes she saw instead of his regular knuckles.  
  
"Knuckles?!" she called in surprise. It was faked, mostly because she had seen him on the television before.  
  
He just stared in return. "You're...Rouge?" he whispered in surprise.  
  
She smiled. "Yep! It's me! And you still haven't given me my jewel!"  
  
Knuckles' rage was definitely starting to rise, but he kept it hidden well. "I've told you before, Rouge; the Master Emerald is not yours!"  
  
"But I've told you before; all jewels are mine!" she fought back, becoming increasingly smug as well.  
  
"I don't have time for this right now..." Knuckles growled, mostly to himself as he tried to walk away.  
  
Rouge stopped him and handed him a small note she had, just in case of this type of event. "Then how about we talk about it later?"  
  
Knuckles opened the small note to see the contents of it. "The 'Romia Capriccio'? Doesn't that mean 'Kitchen of Rome' or something?"  
  
Once again, Rouge smiled. "Great! See you there!" 


	55. Tails likes to Tinker

Tails had parked the Mach II in an alleyway to avoid suspicion. This, of course, allowed him to not only have enough time to sit quietly and do nothing, but he also had plenty of time to count all five hundred and fifty eight bricks on one wall.  
  
He sighed. Waiting for his friends shouldn't be this boring!  
  
Tails looked at Mach II dashboard in front of him. If he configured the layout a bit...Maybe added something here...or there...  
  
Ideas bursting into his head, Tails got to work. The nearby garbage bins were enough for spare parts and tools, even though most of what he got his hands on were pretty shot. However, with a little genius and a lot of work, he got everything together.  
  
Tails couldn't help but wonder who was throwing away all these parts. It seemed to him that, even though they looked shot, they were in pretty good condition...And the tools, too. They were pretty good, except for a screwdriver he found. It was bent in an awkward angle for a screwdriver to be usable. Tails was able to use it, nonetheless.  
  
With pride, Tails stepped back to marvel at his work. Of course, to the naked eye, it was completely unchanged. Tails calmly walked over and, with hands trembling from excitement, pushed an added button on the dashboard.  
  
Joy overfilled his body as the Tornado Mach II pulled, twisted and turned into a whole new vehicle; a Sonic-blue convertible with his very own trademark on both car doors. Tails giggled in joy at the works of his own genius and climbed inside.  
  
He sighed. The seat was too low for him to drive!  
  
Once again he climbed out, pondering the current situation. Maybe if he...no, that won't work...What about...? Nope. Failure waiting to happen...  
  
Tails started digging through the local dumpster to find the parts he needed. Why where the pieces in such good, yet disguised, shape?  
  
Oh well. He had to finish before Sonic got there! Sonic would be so surprised!  
  
Tails continued to work with a huge smile on his face. He knew Knuckles would be back with Sonic and Shadow soon, so he had to hurry.  
  
"Yo, Tails? You there?"  
  
Whoops! They were back sooner than he thought!  
  
"I'm under here!" he called from under the convertible.  
  
"What did you do to the Tornado?!" Knuckles exclaimed, lifting Sonic to put him in the back seat while Shadow crawled over on his own side.  
  
"I converted it!" Tails giggled as he climbed out. "I wanted it to be a surprise!"  
  
"Well, you got the surprise part!" Sonic smiled. "I'm lovin' it!"  
  
"I thought you would!" Tails beamed. "I worked really hard, too! I'm just kinda surprised that all the spare parts I could find were really good shape, although they looked shot..."  
  
"Don't worry about it," Sonic answered. "I just wanna know one thing."  
  
"Déjà vu."  
  
"Shut up, Shadow. When I get better, can I drive?" 


	56. Shadow can never resist a joke

It ended up in the drawing of Knuckles to drive. Even though Tails said he could drive a lot better than Knuckles ever could, all of the older friends thought that the image of an eight-year-old driving a convertible car through the city would be, not only suspicious, but unbelievable and quite attention-grabbing.  
  
Instead, Tails got to sit in the back and pout the whole way. To help Sonic hide the fact that he had recently been in and out of the hospital without a change of clothes, Shadow let him wear his hooded sweatshirt, revealing a SonicTeam© T-shirt beneath.  
  
"Nice shirt," Sonic had commented at the time.  
  
Shadow then explained that it was his favorite shirt and that he was currently very sad about the recent projects of the SonicTeam© itself. Apparently, they were lacking the quality they used to have in the Sonic the Hedgehog adventure games.  
  
This, of course, did not make the hedgehog in a human's body too happy, but he was able to live with it.  
  
Tails looked up at his hero, except this time literally. "You know," Tails commented, "your hair isn't blue anymore."  
  
"It isn't?" Sonic asked, running his hand through his hair to see if he could feel the change in color. "It's kind of a blonde-ish white, right?"  
  
"Yep. That's really weird..." Tails added.  
  
"I hadn't noticed..." Shadow snickered.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Sonic demanded, almost leaning forward in his seat, which was proved very difficult do to his lack of maneuverability from the casts on his legs.  
  
"Simple. I hadn't noticed a difference in intelligence. I kinda always figured you for a dumb blonde!"  
  
Sonic was able to thrust himself forward just enough to roughly hit the back of Shadow's seat, which was right in front of him anyway.  
  
Shadow just laughed while Knuckles and Tails had to giggle along. The Anderson household was coming into sight anyway.  
  
Out front and waiting for them were Mrs. Anderson, Cody, Carl, Sally, and Amy, as well as a cake that read "Welcome Back!" on it in Mrs. Anderson's hands. Carl was standing all by himself while holding on to Mrs. Anderson's pant leg.  
  
Knuckles drove the car slowly into the driveway as well as trying to avoid Amy. Somehow she had gotten away from the group waiting for them and she was currently trying to get to her hero and never-secret crush, Sonic.  
  
Luckily, Sally was able to grab Amy before the girl in pink got too far.  
  
As soon as the car stopped, Tails flipped out and ran to Cody, where he started bragging about his latest works. Knuckles picked up Sonic from the back seat and carried him to the little gathering in front of the house.  
  
Carl, however, waddled right over to Shadow, where he looked up at the young teen, looked cute and held up his arms while opening and closing his hands.  
  
Shadow, like Sonic, had too big of a heart to refuse, so he picked up the little tike and followed everyone to take Carl inside. 


	57. A Date Gone Horibbly Wrong

"...and that's my plan," Sonic finished, finishing his cake as well. Knuckles nodded to himself while leaning back in his chair in deep thought.  
  
"The only way we can do this is if we find the Chaos Emeralds from this world," Knuckles mumbled, mostly to himself. Everyone heard him anyway.  
  
"And how are we going to do that?" Sally asked, poking her own slice of cake with her fork.  
  
"I may have an idea..." Knuckles, once again, mumbled.  
  
"And what would that be?" Sonic asked, leaning back in his chair a bit to look into the living room where Cody and Tails were currently battling each other in the second Sonic Battle Adventure game.  
  
"None of your business!" Knuckles snapped. Everyone at the table, including Carl in some strange way, was staring at him as if his hair was suddenly plaid.  
  
"Nevermind. I'll have the information about the Emeralds soon..." he grumbled. He then walked off to another room, most likely to think to himself.  
  
Knuckles could hear them talking as he walked off. "What's wrong with him?" Amy had asked.  
  
Knuckles shook his head and sighed. What was wrong with him? He was just going to meet a jewels expert...  
  
Later that night, Knuckles stood in the cold winds while he waited outside the Cuma Romia restaurant. Where on Mobius was Rouge?!  
  
It was then that she decided to show up. Once again in her usual outfit of white and purple, coupled with her almost white hair, Knuckles had to admit that she actually looked quite attractive in the human form. Maybe it was the fact that there was no longer a difference in species that made her so attractive.  
  
He shook his head to clear it. He had work to do!  
  
"Sorry I'm late," Rouge purred, "but I had something to pick up." She walked very close as she headed to the door. "Shall we go in?"  
  
Knuckles rolled his eyes, but he remembered his manners at least. "Ladies first," he replied, holding out his hand to indicate the direction of the door.  
  
She smiled and headed inside. Knuckles stood back for just a moment to try and figure out what in the world Rouge was trying to do.  
  
He eventually followed her inside, where he found that she had already asked for a table for two. He was able to hear a bit of the conversation.  
  
"Date, or just hanging out?" the waiter asked. "You don't have to answer, but I am curious."  
  
"Date," Rouge replied, smiling. "My boyfriend's cheep, so I have to pay today. I don't mind, but I'd prefer the table to a conversation right now."  
  
Knuckles almost pulled back in horror to the words revealed by Rouge. He did, however, put a hand over his mouth to try to hide the no-doubt obvious expression on his face.  
  
As they sat down, Rouge said, "I have something I've been wanting to ask you."  
  
"Same here," was the reply.  
  
"Do you know the location of the Chaos Emeralds on this world?"  
  
Knuckles just stared at Rouge, this time in dumb-founded surprise. That was not what he wanted to hear. 


	58. Biscotti and Italian Butter

"Well?" Rouge asked again, looking at the dumb-founded look on Knuckles face. He could be so weird sometimes!  
  
"I...was going to ask you that..." he mumbled, shifting his gaze to the empty table in front of him.  
  
"So, none of us know where the Chaos Emeralds are," Rouge mused. She thought hard again, trying to think of some sort of trick or anything to reveal the Emeralds' locations...  
  
"Don't you feel their frequency?" she asked.  
  
"No...but Sonic can!" He burst, surprising Rouge. "That's how he found me in the first place! He felt the wavelengths of the—" He suddenly stopped himself before he could finish.  
  
"Chaos Emeralds?" Rouge asked as sweetly as she could. An uncomfortable man usually revealed more information than a love-sick one, but either would do. "Please continue; I'm getting interested."  
  
Knuckles shook his head. "No thank you. I've said enough as it is!"  
  
"Stubborn as usual..." she mumbled, picking up the menu to hide her face as she scowled in distaste. "You better order something or we might look a little disrespectful."  
  
"I'm not hungry," Knuckles answered.  
  
"Then order something small!" she replied, doing her best to sound sweet instead of bitter.  
  
She finally picked out her dish from the menu and waited for the waiter to arrive. She didn't have to wait long.  
  
"May I take your order?" the waiter asked. His name tag said "Steve".  
  
"Biscotti for the two of us, please. And I'll take tangerine juice. He'll have the same thing," Rouge replied.  
  
She loved Earth's Italian dishes, but she wasn't that hungry either.  
  
"What's 'biskoty'?" Knuckles asked.  
  
"It's a small biscuit with diced tomato and spices on it, usually served cold. They also serve warm bread with the meal, along with parmesan cheese and olive oil. Mix the cheese and olive oil and you have delicious Italian 'butter' for the bread," she replied.  
  
Knuckles nodded, trying to keep his eyes from hers. "Trade secrets?" she asked.  
  
"You tell yours first," was the reply.  
  
"No, you," she answered, looking sweet and sly at the same time.  
  
He looked annoyed at first, but further badgering did the trick. It was after the food was served that he really began.  
  
"I first met Sonic and Robotnik because of a freak accident. Apparently, the two of them can feel the Emeralds' power. However, it seems that Sonic is more tuned to it; he had a more drastic reaction." Knuckles decided to try the Italian 'butter' idea as he was talking. From his face, Rouge could tell that he agreed to the idea of it being delicious.  
  
"Alright. If that's your secret, here's mine."  
  
She paused for dramatic effect.  
  
"I'm currently working for the government and my mission is to capture the Blue and Black Devils." 


	59. Principal Gibbons gets a Surprise

"The 'Blue and Black Devils'?" Knuckles asked. He was getting very confused.  
  
"Sonic and Shadow, respectively. By the way, I know Sonic's the real deal, but didn't Shadow die on the other Earth?"  
  
Knuckles shook his head. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea. The Chaos energy he was currently emitting was strong enough to send him to another world, and I have little doubt through time as well. He could have been sent to the past and reborn here in another form. Shaun, or Shadow, was definitely born here, I know that, but there are certain times when I can actually see Shadow's real personality in him," he explained.  
  
Rouge nodded. "Anyway, I need to find the Emeralds. They belong to me, after all."  
  
Knuckles sighed in annoyed frustration. The evening was turning out so nicely and then she had to ruin it! "Just for your information, they aren't your Emeralds. They belong to my people, and, as I am the last of them, they belong to me."  
  
"All gems are mine and the Emeralds are gems. Therefore, the Emeralds are mine!"  
  
Both of them started staring daggers at each other. Both tension and rage was building between them.  
  
"How about a race?" Knuckles asked. "The one with the most Emeralds in three days gets the rest of them and no interference from the loser."  
  
Rouge looked confident. "You're on."  
  
They left in a hurry, but they did remember to grab whatever part of their meal they could and leave a tip as well.  
  
The next morning resulted in a note with Cody to school about Sonic's current situation to explain why he wasn't currently at work. That, of course, resulted in a note with Cody from the principal asking how he got into so many accidents without being in a neighborhood gang or 'hit troop'. Sonic had to have the term 'hit troop' defined for him, which caused him to learn that a 'hit troop' is actually a group of hit men hired for a certain job.  
  
Sonic sighed. How was he going to explain everything?  
  
"Write a reply saying—"  
  
Ring! Ring!  
  
"I'll get it," Mrs. Anderson suddenly interrupted, getting up from her position at the table to answer the phone.  
  
"Hello? Oh, Principal Gibbons! How nice to hear from you!" There was a slight pause before Mrs. Anderson continued. "Actually, he's here visiting today. You can talk to him now if you want."  
  
Again there was another pause before Sonic received the phone. "Hello?"  
  
"Serin, I want a detailed explanation from you and I'm not willing to wait for tomorrow. I know you've already read the note, so I don't need to explain everything, do I?"  
  
"No, Principal Gibbons. I understand perfectly. Thing is, I'm not Serin."  
  
"Then connect me to him!"  
  
"Serin is my Earth name. You're talkin to Sonic the Hedgehog." 


	60. Letting go

"WHAT?!"  
  
Sonic laughed to himself. Surprising people was so much fun, but one could only do it once. "Yep. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog in true blue! Well, actually, it's true blonde currently, but I could fix that."  
  
"Prove it!" Principal Gibbons screamed over the phone.  
  
"You've seen me run right? What human could do that?"  
  
"Proof enough. So, you're saving the world, right?"  
  
Sonic sighed in relief. The good principal was learning! "Yep. Robotnik's here and he's causing mayhem as usual. However, I don't mind the job; the kids love me, I get cash I could really use, and it never seems to run over the crime-bustin' time I have against the Robotnik, except when I get really hurt or on 'all day' events. Sorry about that anyway."  
  
"Don't apologize. I hadn't realized..."  
  
Sonic was just about to interrupt when Principal Gibbons suddenly cut the line. Looking confused, he handed the phone back to Mrs. Anderson. "He...cut me off..." Sonic mumbled, still confused.  
  
Yelling was suddenly heard from the living room next to the kitchen. Mrs. Anderson rushed in, hoping to break up the fight. It was Cody and Tails, fighting over a card game where one was accusing the other of cheating. Actually, it didn't really matter who was cheating who, as both were accusing the other of the fact.  
  
Sonic sighed again, this time in frustration. There wasn't a wheelchair in the house and the crutches Mrs. Anderson did have from when she broke her foot wouldn't be helpful with no free foot to lean on in the first place. There had to be some way back to Mobius!  
  
Almost as if on cue, Shadow walked into the room, raiding the fridge of any orange juice it currently had left.  
  
"Hey, Shadow, ever been to Mobius?" Sonic asked.  
  
"Yeah, once. It was like a dream come true, but I somehow crossed back to Earth and died, causing me to return back to my original body, if I'm understanding Knuckles right." Shadow walked over to the table and sat down next to Sonic. "However, I'm not really sure I understand in the first place, and I'm wondering how Knuckles knows so much!"  
  
Sonic thought to himself, searching for some sort of answer. "Well, he's lived with the Chaos Emeralds all his life, and he used to travel the different worlds on his little island in the sky...Maybe it's because of his world and people before they disappeared or something."  
  
Shadow nodded. That seemed to make some sense...  
  
"By the way, where is Knuckles?" he asked.  
  
"I have no idea, but I do have a different idea," Sonic answered, confusing even himself. "Hold out your hand."  
  
Shadow, also confused, did so.  
  
"Now, think of Mobius as hard as you can..."  
  
Both Shadow and Sonic concentrated hard on the thought of Mobius, the home of one and the dream of another. Reality began to slip from them, and together, they let go... 


	61. Cheating never works

Knuckles wearily opened the door to the Anderson household, tired, grubby, and crabby from last night's searching. A whole night, and then some, of searching turned up a complete blank for any type of Chaos Jewel. Hopefully Sonic, Shadow and the rest of them hadn't gotten into trouble while he was gone.  
  
Sally saw him come in and ran up to him. "Knuckles! Thank goodness you're back! We need your help!"  
  
Two words flashed through Knuckles' mind. Too late.  
  
He was led into the kitchen to reveal Sonic and Shadow leaning against each other in a deep sleep. It looked as if both of them were passed on, but only on a spiritual sense, seeing as the body of each was still breathing with ease. Below unobstructed view, Knuckles found them to be holding each other's hand with a strange star marking on the backs. Knuckles smiled to himself; Starlight found his brother.  
  
Knuckles opened his mouth to speak, but instead a pounding sound came from the direction of the door.  
  
As Mrs. Anderson ran off to answer it, Cody quipped, "He knocks when he speaks now! How can we understand him?"  
  
Tails, who has recently gotten over the recent fight with Cody, had to at least giggle with the laughter at the little joke.  
  
"But I said you can't come in! I want to know what's going on!" Mrs. Anderson called from the hallway.  
  
Knuckles rushed to the scene with Sally and Tails close behind. "What's going on?" he called.  
  
Two men in a type of soldier battle uniform that more resembled a robot than camouflage had pushed Mrs. Anderson away to enter the house. "We have come for the Blue and Black Devils. That's all you need to know."  
  
Despite the efforts of Sonic's friends (especially Amy's) the two men in uniform came to the kitchen and tried to take Sonic and Shadow outside. However, seeing as the two teens would not wake up under any conditions (including being doused with water) so they had to be carried while sleeping.  
  
Any opposition was completely demolished due to the fact that the uniformed men also had guns, so it was very hard to warn them about any type of danger that could be faced while both 'Devils' were asleep. Knuckles, however, was able to warn them to not let Sonic or Shadow release their grip on the other teen.  
  
This was only followed because it was impossible to pull them apart anyway. It was all Sonic's friends could do not to follow or fight while Sonic and Shadow were loaded into a tank-like van and taken away.  
  
Rouge fiddled with a small pen as she waited just outside the confinement area of the government facility. She knew that, Chaos Emeralds or not, Knuckles' friends were first to him. Now that she had sent in the three calls, all she needed to do was pull some strings in the facility and get her help to find the Chaos Emeralds.  
  
She watched with slight contempt as the boys were carried in, still gripping the other's wrist in their death-like sleep. She did notice the star mark on the back of their hands, but she also noticed that both teens were asleep.  
  
She wasn't going to find the Emeralds that way!  
  
Grumbling, she left the facility. She was on her own. 


	62. You've got your name for a reason!

Sonic slowly opened his eyes through the blinding headache throbbing throughout his head. Everything around him was hazy, like he was trying to stare through a mist of some kind, but it was green, like home.  
  
There was a groan next to him. Pushing himself up from his front with his hands, he noticed a black blob next to him. Was he going crazy, or was it just him?  
  
He laid back down to free his hands, allowing him to rub his eyes. Now that he could see, he noticed the black blob was actually Shadow, who was starting to revive as well.  
  
"You alive?" Sonic asked, straining to make his cracked voice heard.  
  
"Why else would I be breathing?" was Shadow's reply.  
  
"Yo, I just wanted to see if you were okay," Sonic answered. Once again he strained to get up, but this time also tried to stand on his feet.  
  
Shadow was instantly on his own feet when he heard Sonic cry in pain and fall to the forest floor, completely paralyzed from pain. "Still broken?" Shadow asked with a smirk.  
  
"Still broken," Sonic growled through his teeth.  
  
Shadow pulled Sonic to his feet and balanced the blue hedgehog against his shoulder. "Knothole Village is nearby, I think, and we could probably get help there..."  
  
Sonic sighed to himself. Would he appreciate the help more or the lack of knowledge in Knothole Village that he was completely useless now?  
  
He finally came to a plan. "Shadow, I need you to help me with something..."  
  
"Like walking? Sure. I'll help."  
  
"Shadow, get real," Sonic said, obviously quite frustrated. "If the Freedom Fighters see me like this, they'll freak out. Their hero will have let them down and defenseless, and would be suddenly asking for their help otherwise. Think about it; if I become a liability instead of an asset, would I be Sonic the Blue Blaze or Sonic the Blue Loser?"  
  
"I think they'll still be loyal and hold you as the hero, but just with a few extra problems," Shadow answered.  
  
"But what about Antoine? That guy's been waiting for years to find a chance to drag me into the dirt, and this would be perfect for him! This is all he needs to make me the only thing he sees me as; an overconfident jerk who can't handle himself like he should. Could I ever live with that?"  
  
Shadow thought to himself for a second, but then replied. "Tell you what; I'll sneak in, grab a captured hoverjet, and then we'll go where we need to go. Down with that?"  
  
"Down, buddy. But how are you going to get the hoverjet?"  
  
Shadow smiled. "There's a reason I'm named Shadow..." 


	63. Mistake?

Shadow snuck through the foliage surrounding Knothole Village while looking for the captured hoverjets. They would have to be kept above ground if they were ever going to be used again, so why couldn't he find them?  
  
Another Knothole Villager walked by, this time as some sort of bird. If anything with good hearing or smell came by, Shadow was as good as caught.  
  
He stuck to the shadows as much as he could, running from shade to shade as quickly as possible. Maybe the hoverjets were underground after all. That fact would definitely explain the lack of hoverjets he had currently found.  
  
He finally found the back door to the underground side of Knothole village, which spanned almost twice the area of its above ground brother. Even with that said, it was still pretty small.  
  
Shadow crept down the passage way, doing his best to be silent. All he needed now was a guarantee of no guards at the door when he finally got there. He didn't get his wish, but he heard something interesting.  
  
"Have you heard the latest about Sonic?" said Guard 1.  
  
"Nope. I'm all ears, though," answered Guard 2.  
  
"Well, you know how all of our good fighters, Knuckles, Amy, Sally, excreta, as well as Tails have all gone to some sort of 'alternate world', right?"  
  
"Yeah. So?"  
  
"Well, I've heard that Dr. Robotnik has been using his old stuff again, like he's starting over, and more 'zombies' have been appearing on the old earth."  
  
"I'll say it again. So?"  
  
The first guard seemed frustrated. "Well, why haven't we heard anything from the people on the alternate world?"  
  
"I have no idea," the second guard said flatly.  
  
"Because they've become zombies! Even Sonic!"  
  
"You're kidding!!"  
  
"Wish I was, but that's what I heard," the first guard finished.  
  
Shadow decided to have a little fun. He doubted anyone remembered him like this.  
  
"Well, don't you want to see what a 'zombified' Sonic looks like?"  
  
Both guards jumped and whirled around, holding out their weapons at the intruder.  
  
"It's just me, Sonic, your old pal!" Shadow said eerily, leaning against the doorpost with his face in shadow. "I just happened to keep my smarts, that's all."  
  
"Y-y-you are S-S-Sonic?" the second guard asked, shaking visibly.  
  
"Of course, and now I'm here to clean up a bit."  
  
"H-ho-how so?" the first guard shivered.  
  
"By getting rid of Knothole Village, that's how!"  
  
Both guards ran off screaming, yelling the alarm. Shadow, laughing to himself, ran down the hall find the hoverjets and make his next move. 


	64. Whoops

Rouge couldn't believe her ears. First of all, the government agency won't help her until the two teens wake up, and second of all, almost every guy she met there was trying to ask her out.  
  
"Well, at least tell me what you've found out so far," Rouge mumbled.  
  
"Well, we've found through multiple tests that both teens are genetically identical, all the way to the blonde hair, but seem to have extremely opposite tastes. For example, the electric blue hair of the first teen and the midnight black hair of the other. Also, their legs, of any part of their body, are so dense with muscle that it's surprising they could even move. They must be able to break the speed of sound if they do move at all, but I'm still concerned about how they breathe at such speeds. This said, they either found a way to cheat their breath or they can hold their breath for almost infinite amounts of time," the scientist told her.  
  
"Tell me something I don't know..." she grumbled, shifting in her seat uncomfortably. The scientist at the other side of the desk looked concerned, so she continued. "Why don't you try hitting them with different radio wavelengths? What if they react to some sort of frequency? And what about the star mark on their hands? And the fact that they can't let go of each other?" she asked.  
  
"We could try the frequency idea, but I don't know what it will do to benefit our research... As for the star marking, it looks like a tattoo, but nothing so far tells us that the mark is ink under their skin. Almost every test suggests that the mark is, in fact, melanin that has gathered in such high potencies that it has actually turned their skin black. However, how it could appear in such organized patterns baffles me."  
  
"What about the fact that they can't let go of each other's wrist?!" Rouge hissed, getting very impatient as she watched her three days tick by, second by second.  
  
"I'm sorry! I was getting to that!" the scientist called, holding up his hands to show he was innocent, though of what he was not quite sure. "All we know is that their hands seem to be in a type of suspended animation separate from their bodies. Like rigamortis, but restrained to only their hands."  
  
"I see..." Rouge mumbled to herself. If only the scientists weren't so slow with their investigations...!  
  
"I'll be out for a while. Keep things going around here, okay?" she asked, sounding friendly but being completely serious of her request.  
  
"Alright. Is there anything else I can do for—"  
  
Rouge slammed the office door shut before he could finish. Today was not a good day for her, but then again, the recent days haven't been good either. What was going on that was screwing her up so much?  
  
Rouge held her head as she walked out. Maybe she should follow Knuckles or something. Then she would get the Emeralds and all the other jewels for herself! It would be perfect that way!  
  
She smiled to herself. Maybe today wasn't going to be that bad after all!  
  
Rouge walked up to her car and pulled the car door handle. The convertible beeped twice and unlocked, mostly because it had recognized the woven microprogram threads in her gloves. However, before she could open the car door, someone grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, allowing her to see his whole face.  
  
It was Knuckles, and he did not look happy. 


	65. Tails gets lucky

Tails snuck out of the back door that night, knowing that if he was caught he was dead meat for sure. Slowly, he pulled out his keys for the Tornado Mach II and slipped himself in the small diver's seat. He was going to look for Sonic!  
  
Robotnik was most obviously the one who had kidnapped Sonic in the first place, so he should probably check out the old power plant they had blown up a while ago. There might still be something there for him to find. If he can't, Tails could just pick up some spare parts for later.  
  
But why would Robotnik use military soldiers? Didn't they work for the government? Didn't he usually use zombies or robots in the first place?  
  
Tails shivered. Those robots were scary!  
  
Slowly, Tails engaged the engine. It softly purred to life, allowing Tails to slip away in the dark, cold night.  
  
He was starting to wish he had a jacket, at least!  
  
It didn't take him very long to finally arrive at the ruins of the power plant. Debris was everywhere, and it did nothing to hide the cold dead body of... a Swatbot?  
  
Wait...Shadow disappeared, and then returned later to save Sonic. But Shadow died at the power plant when the robot blew up! Shadow couldn't have survived!  
  
Tails held his head to try to suppress a headache. Nothing made sense anymore!  
  
Tails then fell to his knees, never really stopping until his face said hello to the floor. He softly began to sob and curled his knees to his chest.  
  
Sonic was gone. He was alone again, and away from home.  
  
"I wanna go home!" he sobbed to himself, as soft as a whisper. He missed being able to fly, Bunny Rabbot's pancakes, Rotor's inventions...even Antoine's whining! Everything that reminded him of home was so far away from him now...And there was nothing he could do...  
  
Memories only seen in his nightmares returned to him. Being alone, so alone, when his parents were captured. He was so little! Everyone threw him out, not wanting him. He eventually believed their reasons; an orphan is an orphan, nothing more, nothing less.  
  
But then Sonic came along. Sonic was an orphan himself, though he was older and was able to do something about it. He had lost whatever was left of his family to Robotnik's evil reign of revenge. And Robotnik was once Sonic's very own brother!  
  
Somehow, Sonic was able to show at least a little pity for the little two- tailed fox. He was even kind enough to give Tails his famous nickname to hide his more embarrassing original name. Sonic was almost like a brother to him!  
  
Tails had somehow gotten to his knees, as if he was on all fours. Ahead, there was something...something. If he looked at it, it may help get his mind off all of this.  
  
Almost frantically he crawled forward. Was the object something he knew about? Was it something new? Something he could use? Something his friends would know more about?  
  
He grabbed the small object and held it in his hands. He wiped his eyes with his arm as he tried to determine what the mysterious object was. It was small, stone-like, and covered in dirt...  
  
Tails pulled off as much dirt as he could, wondering how small the actual object was when the chunk was about as twice as big as his fist. Finally, he was able to break off a small clot of dirt deep enough to look at the actual object.  
  
As the green light shone into his eyes, Tails knew he had found a Chaos Emerald. 


End file.
